Note: The DearEsq free 'ask a lawyer' site is offered as a free informational service to the public and is not intended as legal advice. Laws vary from state-to-state, and in addition every situation is unique, and relevant facts may not be known. The answer to the question posed below may not apply to in your state or to your situation. For legal advice in your state and your situation you should consult with an attorney in your state who is familiar with the rules and laws in your state.
I live in Northern California and my neighbor has been stealing gas & electric utilities for years. PG&E finally caught them in the act. They came out with law enforcement & removed every wire & totally blocked any natural gas to that house. The home owners owe thousands of dollars to the utility company. Now they are running a very loud generator night and day. I and some of my neighbors went to the city to see if we could have the generator turned off. They will not help us at all! Is there anything we as a community can do to stop this nuisance? Is there a state agency we can appeal to?
I’m not aware of any law that makes it illegal to run a generator in general, so unless your local city or county has an ordinance restricting their use (and it sounds like they don’t), you may be in a difficult situation.
The noise from the generator might be an actionable nuisance, but that would mean actually suing your neighbor. It would also depend on just how loud it is, what hours it’s running, and so forth. Short of a lawsuit, you could try talking to the police or sheriff to see if they’ll treat it as a noise complaint, much like a too-loud party. Again, that will depend on the particular facts of your case, as well as the local noise ordinances.
