Sutter County, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Because Sutter County has not adopted a general noise ordinance, there is no county code section setting decibel limits for cars, motorcycles, or trucks in the unincorporated area. Instead, vehicle noise is controlled by California state law, which applies countywide and is enforced by the Sutter County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol. The California Vehicle Code requires every motor vehicle to have an adequate muffler in good working order and prohibits modifications or cutouts that amplify exhaust noise (Vehicle Code sections 27150–27151), and it limits the use of amplified sound systems audible from outside the vehicle.

These statewide rules, not a county ordinance, are the basis for citations involving loud exhaust, "jake" or compression brakes, and booming car stereos. The county's own direct contribution is narrow: Chapter 200 of the Sutter County Code regulates sound-amplifying equipment used from sound trucks, requiring that such amplified sound not be audible beyond 100 feet and not exceed 15 watts of power, with a County Clerk license for commercial advertising use. Beyond that, a vehicle creating a genuine disturbance, for example, repeated revving at night, can also be treated as disturbing the peace under California Penal Code 415.