TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: County Counsel
MEETING DATE: March 24, 2026
DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Katharine L. Elliott
PHONE:
707-234-6885
ITEM TYPE: Regular Agenda
TIME ALLOCATED FOR ITEM: 45 Minutes
AGENDA TITLE:
title
Discussion and Possible Action Including Introduction and Waive First Reading of An Ordinance Adding Chapter 8.100 to the Mendocino County Code Regulating Noise
(Sponsor: County Counsel)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION/MOTION:
recommendation
Introduce and waive reading of an ordinance adding Chapter 8.100 to the Mendocino County Code regulating noise.
End
PREVIOUS BOARD/BOARD COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
On September 24, 2024, the Board gave direction to staff to work on creation of a noise ordinance.
SUMMARY OF REQUEST:
Both Code Enforcement and the Sheriff's Office receive complaints concerning excessive and disturbing noise. Currently, the County has no mechanism to issue citations for such noise. The proposed ordinance would allow Code Enforcement or the Sheriff's Office to issue infraction citations, impose administrative penalties, or take other enforcement action, when individuals create or allow excessive and disturbing noise.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit "disturbances", which include playing or operating of any radio, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or other musical device or instrument, or noise produced by any machine, or device, or by any other means, occurring between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., which impacts any residential property and exceed sixty (60) dBA, constant or seventy-five (75) dBA intermittent, as measured from an adjacent residential property line.
The proposed ordinance would make it a violation of County Code to create or allow a disturbance and make any such violation an infraction. The proposed ordinance would also allow for the issuance of administrative penalties to any person who continues to allow or cause a disturbance after receiving a warning to cease the disturbance. Additional...
Click here for full text