Amplified music rules in Santa Clara County, CA — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, amplified music is restricted by the County Noise Ordinance: radios, TVs, musical instruments and similar devices may not create a disturbance across a property line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and music/speech noise lowers the applicable exterior limit by 5 dB. Outdoor amplified events require a County permit.
The County Noise Ordinance (Division B11, Chapter VIII) addresses amplified music in two ways. First, under Section B11-154 'Prohibited acts,' operating any radio, television set, musical instrument or similar device that produces sound is prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when it creates a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real property line. Second, the exterior noise limits in Section B11-152 apply, and where the offending noise contains music or speech conveying informational content (or a steady audible tone such as a whine, screech or hum), the otherwise-applicable limit in the noise table is reduced by 5 dB - making amplified music subject to a stricter effective threshold. Larger outdoor amplified sound is regulated separately: the County requires an Outdoor Amplified Sound Permit (Title B, Division B3, Chapter VIII), and proposed outdoor amplified sound must comply with the thresholds and requirements of the County Noise Ordinance (Division B11, Chapter VIII). Permit conditions can include maintaining an on-site noise-complaint hotline and posting hotline/County contact information. These rules apply to the unincorporated County; cities regulate amplified music within their own limits.
Amplified music that creates a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial property line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or that exceeds the exterior limit (reduced 5 dB for music/speech), is prohibited. Holding an outdoor amplified-sound event without the required County permit is a separate violation.
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