Amplified music rules in Mendocino County, CA — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Mendocino County's Chapter 8.100 noise ordinance (Ordinance 4558, adopted April 7, 2026) specifically targets amplified sound. Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., sound from radios, sound amplifiers and musical devices or instruments may not exceed 60 decibels (continuous) or 75 decibels (intermittent) measured from an adjacent residential property.
The county's new noise ordinance was written with amplified sound clearly in view. As reported, Chapter 8.100 prohibits noise from radios, sound amplifiers and musical devices or instruments that exceeds a constant 60 decibels, or intermittent noise above 75 decibels, as measured from an adjacent residential property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. These limits apply throughout the unincorporated areas of Mendocino County and are enforced by the Sheriff's Office. The ordinance includes exemptions for school activities, public-agency work, emergency operations, and activities protected under the county's right-to-farm and right-to-industry provisions. A practical limitation noted during adoption: the Sheriff's Office reported it did not have the decibel meters (costing roughly $500 to $800 each) needed to support decibel-based citations in court, so early enforcement may rely on the warning-and-infraction process rather than precise meter readings.
Sheriff's Office enforcement: a warning on first response, an infraction on a repeat response to the same location, and possible public-nuisance designation if a property is cited more than three times in a 90-day period.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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