Stanislaus County, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Nighttime limit (10pm-7am)
- Not audible inside any inhabited dwelling
- Daytime limit
- Not audible beyond 50 feet from vehicle
- Covers
- Vehicle-mounted or portable sound systems alike
- Enforced by
- Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office
- Penalty basis
- Infraction under § 1.36.020, separate offense per day
Summary
Stanislaus County's Noise Control Ordinance sets clock-based limits on car and truck stereos in the unincorporated county. Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., a vehicle sound system can't be audible inside any inhabited dwelling at all; at any other hour, it can't be heard by ear more than fifty feet from the vehicle. The Sheriff's Office enforces the standard.
Motor Vehicle Sound Systems. No person shall operate a motor vehicle sound system, whether affixed to the vehicle or not, between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m., such that the sound system is audible to the human ear inside any inhabited dwelling. No person shall operate a motor vehicle sound system, whether affixed to the vehicle or not, at any other time such that the sound system is audible to the human ear at a distance greater than fifty feet from the vehicle. (Ref. California Vehicle Code Section 27007.)
Full Breakdown
46, singles out 'Motor Vehicle Sound Systems' as one of several noise sources subject to standards beyond the general ambient limits in the rest of the chapter. , such that the sound system is audible to the human ear inside any inhabited dwelling. ' The ordinance cites California Vehicle Code Section 27007 as its reference point, and covers a sound system whether or not it's physically mounted in the vehicle, so a portable speaker played from an open car door falls under the same nighttime and daytime limits.
100, which gives deputies primary responsibility for the chapter, though they may also pursue voluntary compliance through warnings before citing. 92, in addition to the infraction penalty itself.
Violations & Fines
Operating a car stereo audible inside a neighboring home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or audible more than fifty feet away at any other hour, violates Section 10.46.060(A) and is prosecuted as an infraction under Section 10.46.120, punishable per the county's general infraction schedule in Section 1.36.020, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense; the Sheriff's Office may also abate it as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can my car stereo be at night in unincorporated Stanislaus County?
Is there a daytime limit for vehicle stereos too?
Who enforces Stanislaus County's vehicle noise rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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