Amplified music rules in Buena Park, CA — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Buena Park Municipal Code Section 8.28.040 bars sound devices used so as to disturb the peace. Operating one between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. so it is plainly audible 50 feet from the residential property line or vehicle is prima facie evidence of a violation. Section 8.08.020 also caps premises sound at 75 dB at 20 feet.
The City of Buena Park regulates amplified music chiefly through Section 8.28.040 of its Noise Ordinance ('Loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise prohibited'). The 'Radios and Other Amplified Music' provision prohibits using or operating any radio, CD player, television, musical instrument, phonograph, or other sound-reproducing device in a manner that disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of residential occupants, or at any time louder than necessary for convenient hearing by persons in the room, vehicle, or chamber where the device is located. Critically, operating such a device between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. so that it is plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the residential property line, or from the vehicle in which it is located, is declared prima facie evidence of a violation. Beyond this plainly-audible standard, amplified music is also measured against the city's adopted decibel limits in Chapter 8.28 (55 dBA day / 50 dBA night at a residential property line), reduced by 5 dBA because the sound is music - effectively about 45 dBA at night. Separately, Section 8.08.020 provides that loud music or noise from a premises may not exceed 75 decibels measured 20 feet from the loudspeaker or 70 decibels measured 75 feet from the loudspeaker. These are the city's own rules; Orange County's code applies only to unincorporated areas.
Amplified music that is plainly audible 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is prima facie evidence of a Section 8.28.040 violation; music exceeding the Chapter 8.28 decibel limits or the 75 dB-at-20-feet cap in Section 8.08.020 is likewise enforceable. The Buena Park Police Department and code enforcement may cite and abate; Section 8.28.030 authorizes notices to appear in court.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Orange County.
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