Calaveras County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Noise and late-night parties are among the most common short-term-rental complaints in Calaveras County's tourism corridors. As of mid-2025 there was no adopted countywide STR-specific noise ordinance outside the regulated Lake Tulloch subdivisions; rental noise was handled under the County's general nuisance and disturbance provisions and Sheriff enforcement, plus the standards in Chapter 20.20 for the four Lake Tulloch subdivisions. The draft countywide Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance reviewed by the Planning Commission and public in 2025 added rental-specific quiet provisions: it proposed that there be no live amplified music and no additional (non-overnight) guests after 10 p.m. Public commenters pointed out that the draft did not clearly define a prohibited party, which they warned would make the 10 p.m. rule difficult to enforce consistently. The draft also generally allowed an off-site, on-call manager rather than an on-site resident manager, putting more weight on responsive complaint handling for noise events. Because this ordinance had not been adopted countywide, the 10 p.m. amplified-music-and-guests cutoff was a proposal, not enforceable STR code, outside Lake Tulloch as of mid-2025. Operators should set quiet hours in their house rules consistent with the County's general noise ordinance, and confirm whether a rental-specific noise rule has since been adopted for their community. Lake Tulloch hosts should review the noise-related standards in the current Chapter 20.20 text.