Quiet hours in Orange County, CA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Unincorporated Orange County does not set a single citywide curfew clock. Instead, Division 6 of Title 4 of the Codified Ordinances sets quieter nighttime exterior noise limits from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (50 dB(A)) than during the day (55 dB(A)), so the practical 'quiet hours' run overnight.
There is no flat 'no noise after 10 p.m.' rule for unincorporated Orange County. Rather than a curfew, the County's Noise Control ordinance (Codified Ordinances Title 4, Division 6, Sections 4-6-1 through 4-6-16, originally adopted as Ordinance No. 2700 on September 19, 1973) regulates noise by measured sound level and time of day. The entire territory of the County, incorporated and unincorporated, is designated 'Noise Zone 1' under Section 4-6-4. Under Section 4-6-5, the exterior noise standard at residential property is 55 dB(A) during daytime hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and a lower 50 dB(A) at night from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. If the offending sound is entirely impact noise, simple-tone noise, speech, music, or a combination, each limit is reduced by 5 dB(A). The interior standard in Section 4-6-6 is 55 dB(A) by day and 45 dB(A) from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The lower nighttime limits are what function as the County's 'quiet hours.' Enforcement (Section 4-6-11) falls to the Orange County Sheriff, County Health Officer, and County Building Official.
A violation of the noise ordinance is a misdemeanor under Section 4-6-15, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
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