Elk Grove, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Elk Grove, CA, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Distance test
- Audible 100 feet from the device
- Location covered
- Publicly owned property, parks, places
- Warning required
- Yes, before any citation (subsection A)
- Exempt
- Licensed assemblies, festivals, permitted parades
- Governing section
- EGMC § 6.32.130
- Penalty after warning
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months
Summary
On City parks and other publicly owned property, Elk Grove bans outdoor radios, music players, and televisions that can be heard 100 feet away. EGMC Section 6.32.130 makes it unlawful to run amplified music, sound, or programming outdoors on public land loud enough to carry that distance, though a citation cannot issue until the person is first warned and given a chance to fix it.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this code and in addition thereto, it is unlawful for any person to permit or cause any noise, sound, music or program to be emitted from any radio, music playing device or television outdoors on or in any publicly owned property, park or place when such noise, sound, music or program is audible to a person one hundred (100' 0") feet from said radio, music playing device or television.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4937385; v2 updated 2026-05-13; through 05-13-2026).
Full Breakdown
140. 080: rather than a dBA meter reading, the test is a fixed 100-foot audibility distance, and it reaches only radios, music playing devices, and televisions operated outdoors on publicly owned property, parks, or places, not private yards or private venues. The section carries its own due-process step that most of the noise chapter does not: under subsection A, no citation, notice to appear, or criminal complaint may be filed until a peace officer, public officer, park ranger, or other person charged with enforcement has first given the offending party a verbal or written notice of the violation and an opportunity to correct it.
020, is not a violation of this section even if it carries beyond 100 feet, so a permitted community event's sound system is not exposed to a citation under this provision.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under EGMC Section 6.32.130 cannot be cited until the offending party has already received a verbal or written warning and a chance to correct the noise, per subsection A. After that warning, a continuing violation is enforced as a misdemeanor under the citywide default in EGMC Section 1.04.030(B): a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day treated as a separate offense under Section 1.04.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play music from a speaker at an Elk Grove park?
Do I get a warning before being cited for loud music in a City park?
Does this rule apply to a permitted festival or parade?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elk Grove
California rules heatmap·Compare Elk Grove to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.