Marin County, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Marin 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
- § 6.70.030(3), Marin County Code
- Nighttime hours
- 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Audibility test
- Plainly audible at 50 yards = violation
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 6 months (§ 1.04.270)
- Enforcing agency
- Marin County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Marin County Code § 6.70.030(3) bans operating any loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or musical instrument that disturbs neighbors or plays louder than needed for voluntary listeners in the room, vehicle, or location where it sits. Running one between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. loud enough to be plainly audible fifty yards from the source is, by itself, prima facie proof of a violation.
(3)Loudspeakers, amplifiers, etc. Using, operating or permitting to be played, used, or operated of any musical instrument, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or other machine or device, or combination thereof, for the producing or reproducing of sound in such manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighboring inhabitants or at any time with louder volume than is necessary for convenient hearing for the person or persons who are in the room, vehicle or location in which such machine or device is operated and who are voluntary listeners thereto. The operation of any such instrument, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or other machine or device, or combination thereof, between the hours of eleven p.m. and seven a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty yards from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 2026 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
030(3) applies that general ban specifically to loudspeakers, sound amplifiers, and musical instruments: operating one so as to disturb "the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighboring inhabitants," or louder than needed for the voluntary listeners actually in the room, vehicle, or location, is enumerated as a violation. 030(2), applies the identical fifty-yard, eleven-to-seven standard to radios, phonographs, and jukeboxes, so both broadcast equipment and live amplified sound share the same nighttime audibility test. 270, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. Complaints go to the Marin County Sheriff's Office, which patrols unincorporated areas and can cite based on the fifty-yard/nighttime test without a decibel meter.
Violations & Fines
A first amplified-sound complaint under § 6.70.030(3) is charged as a misdemeanor under the county's general penalty clause, § 1.04.270: up to a $500 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, since Chapter 6.70 does not downgrade subsections (1)-(4) to infractions. Deputies rely on the fifty-yard, 11 p.m.-7 a.m. audibility test as prima facie proof, so no calibrated decibel reading is required to issue a citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a decibel limit for loud music in unincorporated Marin?
What hours does the nighttime rule cover?
What's the penalty for violating the amplified-sound rule?
Does the same rule apply to a car stereo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marin County
California rules heatmap·Compare Marin County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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