Sandy, UT Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Sandy, UT, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Section
- Sandy City Code Section 13-2-4
- Permit required
- Yes, under Section 13-2-8
- Applies to
- Fixed, mobile, or sound-vehicle loudspeakers
- Decibel ceiling
- 50-80 dB(A) by district/time, Section 13-2-5
- Penalty
- Infraction; each day a separate offense
- Extra remedy
- Nuisance injunction under Section 13-2-12
Summary
Sandy City Code Section 13-2-4 bans operating a loudspeaker or sound-amplifying equipment, fixed, mobile or mounted on a sound vehicle, on any street, sidewalk, park or public property to advertise, give talks or play music to a crowd unless the operator first obtains a permit under Section 13-2-8.
Public Loudspeakers. Using or operating a loudspeaker sound amplifying equipment in a fixed or movable position or mounted upon any sound vehicle in or upon any street, alley, sidewalk, park, place, or public property for the purpose of commercial advertising, giving instructions, directions, talks, addresses, lectures, transmitting music to any persons or assemblages of persons, in such a manner as to violate Section 13-2-5 or cause a noise disturbance, unless a permit, as provided by Section 13-2-8, is first obtained.
Full Breakdown
' It covers commercial advertising, giving instructions or directions, delivering talks, addresses or lectures, and transmitting music to any person or assemblage, so a business using a rooftop speaker to pitch a sale, a truck circling a neighborhood with a PA system, or a promoter running amplified music at a public plaza event all fall within its reach. The prohibition is not absolute: it only applies 'in such a manner as to violate Section 13-2-5 or cause a noise disturbance,' meaning the amplified sound must exceed the district's decibel limit or otherwise rise to a noise disturbance as Section 13-2-3 defines that term, unless the operator lacks the required permit.
Section 13-2-8 sets the permit path; obtaining one before an event lets an operator use loudspeakers that would otherwise breach the district limits, since Section 13-2-4's specific prohibitions work alongside the district-based decibel caps in Section 13-2-5, which set 50 dB(A) at night and 55 dB(A) by day in residential zones, 55/60 dB(A) commercial-agricultural, and 75/80 dB(A) industrial. Violations of Sections 13-2-4 through 13-2-9 are additionally declared a nuisance under Section 13-2-12, exposing an unpermitted operator to injunctive abatement in court on top of any citation.
Violations & Fines
Operating loudspeakers or amplifying equipment in public without the Section 13-2-8 permit, or beyond the Section 13-2-5 decibel limits, is an infraction under Section 13-2-11, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Sections 13-2-4 through 13-2-9 are also declared a nuisance under Section 13-2-12, letting a court issue a restraining order or injunction to shut the equipment down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to use a loudspeaker in public in Sandy, Utah?
What counts as a 'sound vehicle' under Sandy's noise code?
What happens if I run a loudspeaker without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandy
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.