Calaveras County, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Calaveras 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
- Governing section
- § 9.02.050.C
- Applies to
- Amplified equipment and live music
- Limit
- Table 1 dBA, measured at property line
- Permit override
- Conflicting land use permit conditions control
- Repeat offense
- Infraction 1st/2nd, misdemeanor 3rd+
Summary
Calaveras County requires sound-amplifying equipment and live music to stay within the Chapter 9.02 decibel table measured at the property line, and any conflicting condition on an approved land use permit controls instead. The rule under § 9.02.050.C applies to installers, operators and performers alike.
C.Sound-Amplifying Equipment and Live Music. No person shall install, use or operate sound-amplifying equipment, or perform, or allow to be performed, live music unless the sound emanating from the sound-amplifying equipment or live music shall not exceed the dBA standards, as specified in Table 1, when measured at the property line. To the extent these requirements conflict with any conditions of approval attached to an underlying land use permit, the conditions on the land use permit prevail. Land use permits include but are not limited to, temporary use permits, administrative use permits, and conditional use permits.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
030 when measured at the property line: 60 dBA by day and 50 dBA at night for residential property, 70/60 for commercial and 75/65 for industrial. The county built in a permit override: where these decibel limits conflict with a condition of approval attached to an underlying land use permit, such as a temporary use permit, administrative use permit or conditional use permit, the permit condition controls instead of the blanket Table 1 standard. That override matters in a rural county where wineries, event venues and fairgrounds operate under discretionary permits that often set their own amplified-sound hours and limits.
040 with a calibrated ANSI Type 1 sound level meter at the property line of the receiving property, following procedures set by the county's noise control officer, a role assigned to the county sheriff. C directly. This subsection applies countywide in the unincorporated area; Angels Camp, the county's only incorporated city, enforces its own separate code.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 9.02.050.C is enforced under § 9.02.070: a first or second conviction within two years is an infraction, and a third conviction within twenty-four months of a prior one is a misdemeanor. Fines are set under Government Code § 25132, and the county can bill the property owner for its administrative enforcement costs under § 9.02.090 after a notice and hearing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a permitted event exceed the Table 1 decibel limits for amplified music?
Where is amplified sound measured?
What happens on a repeat violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calaveras County
California rules heatmap·Compare Calaveras County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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