Yuba City, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Municipal Code Chapter 17 makes it unlawful to make or continue "loud and raucous noise" anywhere in Yuba City, and Section 4-17.10(b) singles out yelling, shouting, talking, whistling or singing as a public nuisance whenever it happens between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Unlike the catch-all definition, which asks a court to weigh volume, timing and neighborhood character, this curfew subsection needs no balancing test: the conduct plus the clock is enough to support a citation. The Yuba City Police Department issues notices of violation under Section 4-17.23 based on probable cause established at the scene, and Section 4-17.22 makes every violation of Chapter 17 an infraction rather than a misdemeanor, so it does not carry jail exposure on a first or second offense.

A narrow carve-out exists for licensed restaurants, bars and entertainment venues fronting Plumas Street and Center Street downtown, which are exempted from this specific curfew subsection during set evening and weekend hours under Section 4-17.20(k), but that exemption is tied to a formal City-approved noise plan and does not apply citywide. Outside that corridor, a resident who is yelled at, shouted at or sung at after 10:00 p.m. can call police to document the time and location for a citation. Chapter 17 also lets the City pursue a civil injunction under Section 4-17.30 against a chronic violator in addition to criminal citation, and violations are cumulative: each night of conduct is treated as a separate offense for penalty purposes under the City's general infraction schedule.