Outdoor Music: Santa Rosa vs Sonoma

Can a winery hold outdoor concerts near my home?

Often only with a use permit. Permit Sonoma reviews special-event and concert proposals and can condition hours and sound levels using the General Plan noise standards, which are reduced 5 dBA for music. Ongoing problems at a permitted venue should be reported to Permit Sonoma.

Is there a curfew for outdoor music in the unincorporated county?

No single countywide curfew exists. Hours are set per venue through use-permit conditions, and the General Plan uses a 10 p.m.–7 a.m. nighttime period with lower allowable levels. Spontaneous, disturbing outdoor music is a Sheriff matter under Penal Code 415.

Can a restaurant put speakers on its patio facing the sidewalk?

No. Chapter 9.56 specifically prohibits directing amplified, transmitted, or recorded sound from a business toward a public right-of-way. Speakers must be aimed inward and kept within the dBA limits of SMC § 9.56.040 at the property line.

Do winery weddings on the outskirts of town need a noise permit?

If the amplified music will exceed the SMC § 9.56.040 dBA limits at the property line, yes — SMC § 9.56.060 authorizes the city to grant a noise permit with conditions. Wineries in unincorporated Sonoma County are instead governed by the County's Noise Element and the use permit conditions issued by Permit Sonoma, not the city code.