San Benito County, CA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 1.06.030(A)(6), § 1.06.060
- Who is liable
- Property owner, tenant, or occupant
- First violation penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day
- Applies to
- Unincorporated San Benito County only
Summary
Unincorporated San Benito County has no separate party ordinance, but a property repeatedly disturbing the peace with unreasonably loud noise is a declared public nuisance, and the owner or occupant who allows it faces county abatement.
Any real property that has been the situs for nuisance activity and/or violations of any provision of this code or any other state or federal law or regulation, including, but not limited to: disturbing the peace, unreasonably loud noise, loitering, harassment of passersby, illegal gambling, prostitution, sale of stolen goods, acts of violence, acts of vandalism, acts of lewd conduct, public urination, illegal drug activity, public drunkenness, drinking alcoholic beverages in public, or excessive littering.
(7) Any building or property used for the purpose of willfully conducting dogfighting in violation of Cal. Penal Code § 597.5 or cockfighting in violation of subdivision (b) of Cal. Penal Code § 597b is a public nuisance.
(8) Any condition that constitutes a visual blight to a reasonable person of average sensibilities. For purposes of this chapter, visual blight is any unreasonable or unlawful condition or use of real property, premises, or building exteriors which by reason of its appearance as viewed at ground level from the public right-of-way or from neighboring premises, is detrimental to the property of others or to the value of property of others, offensive to the senses, or significantly degrades the aesthetic appearance of the neighborhood. Visual blight may include, but is not limited to, the keeping, storing, depositing, scattering over or accumulation on the premises any of the following:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).
Full Breakdown
Section 1.06.030(A)(6) declares any real property that becomes the situs for nuisance activity, including disturbing the peace or unreasonably loud noise, a public nuisance. Section 1.06.060 then makes it unlawful for anyone owning, leasing, occupying, or controlling premises in the unincorporated county to cause, permit, conduct, or allow such a nuisance to exist there: placing responsibility on the host, not just individual guests. The county's enforcing officers can issue a notice of violation, a notice to abate, or move directly to court under Ch. 1.06 if the disturbance is severe.
Violations & Fines
Administrative civil penalties reach up to $1,000/day for a first violation, $2,000/day for a repeat within a year, and $5,000/day after that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Benito County have a specific loud-party law?
Can a landlord be cited for a tenant's loud party?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Benito County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Benito County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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