Ventura County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Ventura County, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Measured at
- 50 feet from property line of source
- Right-of-way sources
- 50 feet from the source itself
- Standard
- Loud or raucous, audible to the human ear
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor or infraction, § 13-2
Summary
Ventura County Ordinance Code § 6299-1 bans creating any loud or raucous noise, audible to the human ear, in any residential zone of the unincorporated county between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. of the following day. The standard is measured at 50 feet: from the property line of the noise source, or from the source itself when it sits in a public right-of-way.
No person shall create within any residential zone of the County of Ventura any loud or raucous noise which is audible to the human ear during the hours of 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. of the following day, at a distance of 50 feet from the property line of the noise source or 50 feet from any such noise source if the noise source is in a public right-of-way.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
The ordinance turns on audibility rather than a decibel reading. If a loud or raucous noise can be heard by the human ear at 50 feet during the curfew hours, it violates § 6299-1; no measurement equipment is involved. The 50-foot mark is normally taken from the property line of the noise source, which means noise carrying beyond a yard is judged from the parcel's edge, not from the stereo or tool producing it. When the source is in a public right-of-way, the 50 feet run from the noise source itself.
The covered zones are the county's residential zones, including R-1, R-2, R-P-D, R-O, R-E and their coastal equivalents, so the curfew tracks zoning designations across the unincorporated county. Covered sources include radios, musical instruments, TVs and amplification equipment, along with mechanical tools like lawn mowers, blowers and edgers. window this section imposes no limit, so daytime yard work is not restricted by it, however loud.
Violations & Fines
Violating the nighttime noise curfew is a misdemeanor or infraction punishable under Section 13-2 of the Ventura County Ordinance Code's general penalty schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to lawn mowers during the day?
How is the noise measured?
Does the curfew apply in Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley?
Which zones does it cover?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura County
How Ventura County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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