Hawthorne, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

010 that a person shall not operate any motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, trail bike, dune buggy, motor scooter or jeep, or the motor of such a vehicle, on any vacant lot, parking lot, vacant property or acreage so as to disturb the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person by noise, dust, smoke or fumes caused by the vehicle. The section carves out an exception for conduct already addressed elsewhere: it does not apply to any act prohibited by Section 372 of the Penal Code (California's general nuisance statute) or to acts prohibited or expressly permitted by state statute, so the local ordinance layers on top of, rather than duplicates, state vehicle and penal law covering off-road and reckless driving noise.

The provision traces to the city's prior code § 10-804 and predates the more general noise regulations found elsewhere in Title 9 that govern amplified sound and disturbances from stationary sources; this chapter specifically targets moving or idling vehicles and their motors as the noise source, tying the violation to vacant or open land rather than public streets generally. Because the standard is disturbance-based rather than a fixed decibel limit, enforcement turns on whether the noise, dust, smoke or fumes actually disturbed the peace or quiet of a neighborhood or a specific person, which the Hawthorne Police Department assesses at the scene or from resident complaints.