Orange, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Orange's general nighttime noise curfew sits outside Chapter 8.24's decibel-limit table and instead uses an audibility test. Section 8.24.100, the 'Alternative Noise Prohibition,' makes it unlawful to willfully make or permit any loud, unnecessary and unusual noise that disturbs the peace of a residential property between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. A power tool, radio, television, music amplifier, tape player, record player, CD player or musical instrument played during those hours is a prima facie violation if audible 100 feet from the source's property line, or 150 feet if the source is not stationary.

The section expressly extends to stationary vehicles parked on the street or on private property, covering car stereos left running after 10:00 p.m. A peace officer's own observation is enough to establish the violation; testimony from any other person can also prove it. The curfew runs alongside, not instead of, the separate disturbing-the-peace statute in Penal Code Section 415 and the party-noise rules in Orange Municipal Code Chapter 9.39, so one loud gathering can trigger more than one charge. Section 8.24.080 assigns enforcement to the Director of Community Development or the Chief of Police (or their designee), who may arrest without a warrant under Penal Code Section 836.5 when they have reasonable cause a misdemeanor occurred in their presence, and may issue administrative citations under Chapter 1.10.

If the City runs noise-monitoring tests to build a case and the reading exceeds code limits, the property owner or the noise source's operator must reimburse the City's cost of that testing.