Tulare County Code treats frequent or continuous noise from motor vehicles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, and internal combustion engines as 'Excessive Noise Sources' subject to the 65 dB property-line cap. Chapter 4-23 separately restricts off-highway vehicle operation within one-half mile of residential areas, schools, hospitals, and parks.
Tulare County regulates vehicle noise on two tracks. First, Section 5-01-1210(k) defines 'Excessive Noise Sources' to include 'frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounds from starting, operating, repairing, rebuilding, or testing of motor vehicles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, or other off-highway vehicles, or any internal combustion engines,' and Section 5-01-1215(b) caps those sounds at 65 dB at the property boundary. Second, Title 4, Chapter 23 ('Restrictions on the Use of Motorcycles, Motor Bikes, All-Terrain Vehicles and Certain Other Motor Vehicles') restricts off-highway vehicle operation within one-half mile of any school, hospital, convalescent home, park, or residential area, where 'within one-half mile of' is defined in Section 4-23-1005(f) and 'residential area' is defined in Section 4-23-1005(g) as any area one-quarter mile in depth abutting a public or private road containing four or more residences or any multi-unit dwelling. Section 4-23-1015 declares any violation of Chapter 23 to be a public nuisance. Exceptions under Section 4-23-1010 preserve agricultural and commercial use of vehicles by property owners on their own land and use of road-registered vehicles on private roads or driveways.
Violations of Section 5-01-1215(b) (65 dB cap) carry a $1,000 first-offense administrative fine, $3,000 for repeats within three years, and possible misdemeanor prosecution (Section 5-01-1235). Chapter 23 violations are declared public nuisances under Section 4-23-1015 and are abatable through county code enforcement and District Attorney action.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Visalia, CA
Visalia prohibits storing inoperative, abandoned, wrecked, or dismantled vehicles on public or private property for more than 10 days unless screened from view.
Visalia, CA
Visalia requires all front-yard residential parking to be on an impervious surface like pavement or concrete, and prohibits vehicle repairs on driveways.
Visalia, CA
Visalia has no blanket citywide overnight parking ban, but Visalia Municipal Code 10.16.190 authorizes the City Manager to post 'all-night parking prohibited...
Visalia, CA
Visalia adopts the California Swimming Pool Safety Act and VMC 15.40.040, which require private residential swimming pools and spas to be enclosed by a 60-in...
Visalia, CA
Fences and walls may be placed on residential property lines, but anything taller than 3 feet must sit outside the required front-yard setback and the street...
Visalia, CA
Visalia Municipal Code Chapter 17.36 allows fences to be built of any generally acceptable material in residential zones, but barbed wire and electrically ch...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Tulare County.
See how Visalia's vehicle noise rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.