Chico, CA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Threshold
- 20+ persons on private property
- Noise trigger
- 3+ complaints in 4 hours
- Owner liability
- After 14-day repeat-notice window
- Offense
- Misdemeanor (attendee/host)
Summary
Chico bans gatherings of 20 or more people that cause a substantial neighborhood disturbance, defining it to include noise complaints, and holds hosts and property owners civilly liable for police and fire response costs.
"Unruly gathering" shall mean a gathering of twenty or more persons on private property that results in conduct that causes a "substantial disturbance" of the quiet enjoyment of private or public property in a significant segment of a neighborhood or presents a threat to the health and safety of those in attendance... conduct that causes a substantial disturbance shall include, but is not limited to a noise disturbance generating three or more complaints in any four hour period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Supplement contains local legislation current through: Codified Resolution No. 53-26, adopted 7-14-26 and Ordinance No. 2622, adopted 6-2-26).
Full Breakdown
Chico Municipal Code Section 9.40.020(E) defines an 'unruly gathering' as 20 or more persons on private property whose conduct causes a substantial disturbance of the neighborhood's quiet enjoyment, including a noise disturbance generating three or more complaints in any four-hour period, along with public drunkenness, fights, littering, or unlawful alcohol/drug possession. Section 9.40.030 makes hosting or attending such a gathering unlawful and a public nuisance. Property owners get a mailed warning after a first incident; a second unruly gathering at the same address within 14 days of that notice exposes the owner, along with the responsible host, to joint and several civil penalties and liability for the city's response costs under Section 9.40.050.
Violations & Fines
Attending or hosting counts as a misdemeanor under Section 9.40.060, with administrative civil penalties set by council resolution; absentee landlords who continue to allow violations after notice are guilty of an infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people make a party an 'unruly gathering' in Chico?
Can a landlord be fined for a tenant's loud party?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chico
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