Chino Hills, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Test distance
- 25 feet from vehicle
- Time covered
- any time of day or night
- Trigger
- plainly audible or felt vibration
- Zone covered
- residential and mixed-use residential
- First-offense fine
- up to $100
- Citation basis
- CHMC § 16.48.020(G)(2)
Summary
Chino Hills treats a booming car stereo as a noise violation any time of day, not just at night. Municipal Code Section 16.48.020(G)(2) makes it prima facie evidence of a violation to run a vehicle's sound amplifier, radio, or CD player loud enough to be plainly audible, or to cause someone to feel the bass vibration, at twenty-five feet in or near a residential zone.
2.The operation of any sound amplifier, at any time of day or night, which is part of, or connected to, any radio, stereo, receiver, compact disc player, cassette tape player or other similar device, when operated in such a manner as to be plainly audible within any residential zoning district or within the residential portion of a mixed use zoning district and at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet and when operated in such a manner as to cause a person to be aware of vibration accompanying the sound at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet from the source.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
020(G)(2) carves out a separate, easier-to-enforce test for vehicle sound systems. It applies around the clock, at any time of day or night, to any sound amplifier that is part of or connected to a vehicle's radio, stereo, receiver, CD player, cassette player, or similar device. A violation is established two ways: the sound is plainly audible, detectable by an unaided ear, at twenty-five feet from the vehicle within a residential zoning district or the residential portion of a mixed-use district, or the sound causes a person at that same twenty-five-foot distance to become aware of vibration accompanying it, the bass thump through a car's subwoofers being the classic example.
Either condition alone is enough; the officer does not need both audibility and felt vibration to write the citation, and does not need a certified sound level meter reading, unlike a general exterior-noise complaint measured under the chapter's decibel table. The rule sits inside the same chapter that separately covers fixed noise sources like air conditioners, so it deliberately treats a vehicle's mobile stereo system as its own enforcement category. m.
Violations & Fines
A vehicle-stereo violation is punishable as an infraction under Chapter 1.36 of the Municipal Code: up to a one hundred dollar fine for a first offense, two hundred dollars for a second within a year, and five hundred dollars for a third, with a fourth offense in that period chargeable as a misdemeanor. Each instance the vehicle is driven or parked with the amplifier audible at the prohibited level can be treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for a loud car stereo during the day in Chino Hills?
Does the bass from my subwoofers count even if I cannot hear the words?
What is the penalty for a first car-stereo noise citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle vehicle noise.