Downey, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Downey Municipal Code § 4604 governs any "outdoor paging system," defined as a sound-amplifying system connected to a licensed business and used to call, page, or communicate with people outside a building. No one may install, maintain, or operate one without a permit issued under rules the City Manager promulgates. The City will not issue a permit for equipment capable of producing more than five decibels "A" scale db(A) above the ambient sound level measured at the property line of adjacent property, and no speaker may exceed the rated output allowed by the permit; the last stage of amplification is capped at 15 watts regardless of what the permit allows.

the next day whenever the sound is audible on residential property, and even during permitted daytime hours the system cannot be run in a way that annoys or disturbs people of normal sensibility on residential land. A separate section, § 4603, bans loudspeakers, sound amplifiers, and similar advertising devices entirely once the sound is cast onto a public street, so a business cannot dodge the paging-system permit by amplifying from the sidewalk instead. The City department or office that issued a § 4604 permit can revoke it on a showing that the system is being operated unlawfully or as a nuisance; the operator gets written notice of the reasons, and the revocation takes effect five days after delivery or mailing unless the permit holder demands a hearing from the City Manager within that window, whose decision is final.