Paramount, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Paramount, 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
- Approval needed
- Registration statement filed first, then City Manager approval
- Sound vehicle hours barred
- 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. next day, and Sundays
- Sound vehicle distance
- Not within 300 feet of hospitals, schools, places of worship
- Night limit, R1 and R2
- 57 decibels from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Maximum penalty
- $500.00 fine, six months County Jail, or both
- Exempt
- School bands and duly licensed parades
Summary
In the City of Paramount, no one can operate a loudspeaker or sound amplifying equipment to send sound to any assemblage of persons without first filing a registration statement and getting approval from the City Manager. School bands and duly licensed parades are exempt, and the Chapter 9.12 decibel caps apply to music equipment otherwise.
1. Radios, televisions, musical instruments, drums or other percussion instruments, tape recorders, sound trucks or vehicles, whether mobile or stationary, public address systems, loudspeakers, bull horns, sound equipment or other devices or machines used for producing, reproduction or amplification of music, instructions, talks, speeches, addresses or lectures, or for attracting attention by persons selling merchandise, food or beverage or other similar purposes. a. No person shall operate a loudspeaker or sound amplifying equipment for the purpose of transmitting sound to any assemblage of persons in the City without first filing a registration statement and obtaining approval from the City Manager, and as otherwise required by Chapter 12.48 of this Code as related to sound and advertising vehicles. b. Exemption. Subsection A of this section shall not apply to school bands or duly licensed parades or other events authorized in paragraph (1)(a) above.
Full Breakdown
Section 9.12.060(B)(1) of the Paramount Municipal Code lists the equipment it covers: radios, televisions, musical instruments, drums and other percussion instruments, tape recorders, sound trucks or vehicles, public address systems, loudspeakers, bull horns and any other device that produces, reproduces or amplifies music, instructions, talks, speeches, addresses or lectures, or that attracts attention for people selling merchandise, food or beverage. Under paragraph (1)(a), nobody in the City of Paramount can operate a loudspeaker or sound amplifying equipment to transmit sound to any assemblage of persons without first filing a registration statement and obtaining approval from the City Manager.
The same paragraph points to Chapter 12.48, which governs sound and advertising vehicles. Under that chapter a sound vehicle cannot run its amplifier within 300 feet of a hospital, school, church or other place of religious worship, cannot operate on a public highway between 4:30 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. of the following day or on any Sunday, and needs a permit from the City Council before it uses a public highway. Paragraph (1)(b) exempts school bands and duly licensed parades or other events authorized under paragraph (1)(a).
Apart from the exemptions, the Section 9.12.040 limits apply to music: the maximum from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. is 62 decibels in R1 and R2 zones, 67 in R3 and R4 zones and 82 in Industrial and Commercial zones, dropping to 57, 62 and 77 from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Measurements use the A weighted network and are taken on adjoining residential property about 10 feet from any building or wall, or at the property line. Inside City parks, Section 9.32.210 adds its own rule: amplified equipment needs a reservation or permit from the Community Services and Recreation Director, who cannot deny a permit over the content of talks or music, and a denied applicant can appeal in writing to the City Clerk, with the City Council action final.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 9.12 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $500.00, up to six months in the County Jail, or both, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. Noise above the Section 9.12.040 levels is prima facie evidence of a violation. The Director of Ordinance Enforcement enforces the chapter, and a court can abate offending equipment by restraining order or injunction as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need permission to use a speaker at an event in Paramount?
What are the decibel limits for music at night?
Can a sound truck play music on Paramount streets?
What is the rule for amplified sound in Paramount parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paramount
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