Tulare County, CA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

The prohibition in § 5-01-1215(a) reaches any person who permits, allows, hosts or continues to host a party on private property under their control while underage persons (under 21) are present and the host knows or reasonably should know alcohol or marijuana is being furnished to or consumed by them. 'Party' is defined broadly in § 5-01-1210(f) as any gathering of two or more people on private property unless everyone present is part of the same household or immediate family, and 'private property' under § 5-01-1210(h) reaches houses, apartments, hotel rooms, yards, mobile homes and rented commercial premises alike.

Section 5-01-1220 imposes an affirmative duty: a host must take reasonable steps such as monitoring access to alcohol or marijuana, checking IDs, ejecting guests suspected of furnishing either to minors, and supervising underage attendees. Under § 5-01-1220(b), presence at the party combined with a failure to take those steps is prima facie evidence the host had the required knowledge.

Section 5-01-1225 declares a violation a public nuisance subject to criminal penalties, administrative fees and civil cost recovery, and § 5-01-1230 treats each law enforcement or fire response to the same party as a separate offense. Penalties under § 5-01-1235 are steep: a misdemeanor under § 125, plus an administrative fine of $1,000 for a first nuisance declaration and $3,000 for any subsequent declaration against the same person or property within three years. The fines are set by Board resolution and can be appealed through the Chapter 23 administrative fine process.