Riverside, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Riverside, 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
- RMC § 7.35.010(D)
- Audibility threshold
- Plainly audible 25+ feet from property line
- Applies
- Any time: no daytime exemption
- First-offense fine
- $100 administrative citation
- Max criminal penalty
- $1,000 fine and 6 months jail
- Variance available
- Community & Economic Development Director, Ch. 7.40
Summary
Riverside bans loud music or noise from sound amplifying equipment or a live performance that carries 25 feet or more beyond the property, structure, or unit where it starts. RMC § 7.35.010(D) applies around the clock, there's no daytime carve-out, layered on top of Chapter 7.25's separate decibel limits. Code Enforcement and police cite on a 'plainly audible' distance test, not a meter reading.
A. It is unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance, as it is defined in Section 7.10.125, and offends a reasonable person of normal sensitivities... D. The emitting or transmitting of any loud music or noise disturbance from any sound amplifying equipment or live performance, which is plainly audible from a distance of 25 feet or more from the edge of the property, structure, or unit from which the source is located, shall be prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
010, makes it unlawful to 'make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance' that offends a reasonable person of normal sensitivities (subsection A), and separately bars 'any noise plainly audible through partitions common to two dwelling units within a building' (subsection C). ' The 25-foot 'plainly audible' test lets an officer cite a violation without a decibel meter, if the sound clearly carries past that distance, it violates the section. Subsection A lists eleven factors weighed when a case is contested, including proximity to dwellings, hospitals and hotels, the zoning of the area, time of day, duration, and whether the source is commercial.
30, and a single incident can draw citations under more than one section. 40, which requires a Council-set fee, notice to owners within 300 feet, and Planning Commission review if a controversy is raised.
Violations & Fines
Riverside enforces noise complaints either as a criminal misdemeanor or infraction under RMC § 1.01.110 (up to $1,000 and six months in County jail for a misdemeanor, up to $250 for an infraction) or through administrative citations under Chapter 1.17, $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for a third within the same violation type. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do police need a decibel meter to cite loud music in Riverside?
Is there a curfew for amplified music, or does the 25-foot rule apply all day?
Can I get a permit or variance to run loud music past the limit?
What's the penalty for a repeat noise violation in Riverside?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.