Short-term rental guests in Chico are bound by CMC Chapter 9.38 (Noise), which sets specific decibel limits and prohibits unreasonable noise that disturbs the peace, plus general nuisance provisions in CMC Title 9 (Public Peace, Morals & Welfare). Operators are responsible for guest conduct and may face a citation under the city's loud-and-unruly-gathering enforcement, which is concentrated in the Cal State Chico south-campus area.
CMC Chapter 9.38 establishes Chico's noise ordinance: it prohibits noise that exceeds published dB thresholds at the property line of an adjacent residence and prohibits amplified sound without a permit. Quiet-hours timing and decibel ceilings vary by zoning district (more restrictive in residential than commercial). Chico actively enforces a loud/unruly-party response near CSU Chico under the broader public-peace title of the code, and repeat-offender properties can be billed for police response costs and face nuisance-abatement action. STR operators have no statutory exemption — guests must comply, and the host can be cited as the responsible party. State preemption is minimal here: Cal. Gov. Code §65850 confirms cities' police-power authority to regulate noise, and CEQA's noise element provides no individual defense to a citation. Wildfire-area STR operators should also note that outdoor amplified sound near WUI zones may interact with CMC Ch. 9.35 (outdoor warming appliances/open flame) restrictions during fire season.
Violations of CMC Ch. 9.38 are typically charged as infractions with escalating fines for repeat offenses; egregious or repeated violations can rise to a misdemeanor under CMC Title 1 general penalty. Properties with documented repeat loud-party calls can be declared nuisances and abated through CMC nuisance procedures.
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