Tehama County, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Tehama County, 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
- Hours allowed
- 10am-noon & 4:30-6:30pm only
- Days barred
- No use Sundays or legal holidays
- Volume cap
- Inaudible beyond 300 feet
- Power cap
- 15 watts, final amplification stage
- Buffer
- 100 yards from hospitals, schools, churches
Summary
Tehama County limits vehicle-mounted sound-amplifying equipment ('sound trucks') to two daily windows, bars use on Sundays and holidays, caps volume at inaudible beyond 300 feet, and requires sheriff registration, or a license for commercial use.
Noncommercial use of sound trucks in the unincorporated area of the county with sound-amplifying equipment in operation shall be subject to the following regulations:
A.The only sounds permitted are music or human speech.B.Operations are permitted for four hours each day, except on Sundays and legal holidays when no operations shall be authorized. The permitted four hours of operation shall be between the hours of ten a.m. and twelve noon, and between the hours of four-thirty p.m. and six-thirty p.m.C.Sound-amplifying equipment shall not be operated unless the sound truck upon which such equipment is mounted is operated at a speed of at least ten miles per hour except when said truck is stopped or impeded by traffic. Where stopped by traffic, the said sound-amplifying equipment shall not be operated for longer than one minute at each such stop.D.Sound shall not be issued within one hundred yards of hospitals, schools, churches or courthouses.E.The human speech and music amplified shall not be profane, lewd, indecent or slanderous.F.The volume of sound shall be controlled so that it will not be audible for a distance in excess of three hundred feet from the sound truck and so that said volume is not unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing, or a nuisance to persons within the area of audibility.G.No sound-amplifying equipment shall be operated with an excess of fifteen watts of power in the last stage of amplification. (Ord. 299 §2(d), 1961)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13.04 regulates 'sound trucks': vehicles carrying sound-amplifying equipment. Noncommercial use requires a sheriff registration statement listing the equipment's wattage, decibel output, and planned hours; commercial advertising use needs a $2.50 sheriff-issued license. Under § 13.04.050, operation is limited to two daily windows, 10 a.m.-noon and 4:30-6:30 p.m., never on Sundays or legal holidays, with no sound within one hundred yards of hospitals, schools, churches, or courthouses, a volume cap of audible-beyond-300-feet, and a 15-watt limit on the final amplification stage. The truck must also move at least ten miles per hour except when stopped by traffic. This governs unincorporated Tehama County only, not Red Bluff, Corning, or the City of Tehama.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sound truck without the required sheriff registration or license, or outside the permitted hours, volume, or distance limits, is a misdemeanor under § 13.04.110.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tehama County require a permit for a sound truck?
Can a sound truck operate at night in unincorporated Tehama County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tehama County
California rules heatmap·Compare Tehama County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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