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

Chapter 10.32 governs any "sound-amplifying equipment," defined in Section 10.32.010 as a machine or device that amplifies the human voice, music, or other sound for an outside audience; personal electronics like radios or car stereos heard only inside a vehicle are excluded and instead fall under the general noise nuisance rules of Chapter 10.28. Section 10.32.020 requires a permit from the Administrative Services Director before anyone uses such equipment or a sound truck anywhere in the city, and Section 10.32.030 lists required application details, including the equipment's wattage, decibel output, and proposed hours and location.

Once granted, Section 10.32.040 caps a permit at six months and lets the Director specify operating hours; an application can be denied if the applicant had a permit revoked within 18 months or received a citation under Chapters 10.28, 10.32, or 10.66 at the same location within that period. Section 10.32.050 bans sound trucks and amplification equipment on public beaches outright, citing the harbor and ocean beaches' recreational value under the state's legislative land grant to the city. For everywhere else, Section 10.32.060's regulations for use limit amplified content to music and human speech that is not profane, lewd, or slanderous, bar emitting sound within 100 yards of hospitals, churches, and City Hall, cap audibility at 100 feet from the equipment, and prohibit use between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. entirely.

A denied or revoked permit can be appealed in writing to the City Manager, whose decision is final for the city but reviewable in court under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5.