Santa Cruz, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Santa Cruz, 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
- Code Section
- SCMC 9.40.010; 9.36.020(C)
- Amplified Sound Curfew
- 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m.
- Commercial-Zone Distance Standard
- Audible 125+ ft = presumptively too loud
Summary
Sound amplifying equipment may not be used between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and in designated commercial zones amplified sound on public property that can be heard 125 or more feet away is presumed unreasonably loud.
9.40.010 RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF SOUND AMPLIFYING EQUIPMENT AND SOUND TRUCKS. A. No person shall use or cause to be used any sound amplifying device or equipment at any place in the city, whether on public property or private property, except in accordance with subsection B. B. Sound amplifying equipment and sound trucks: 1. Shall only be used to produce music or human speech, or both; 2. Shall not be emitted near hospitals, churches, schools, courthouses or city facilities in a manner that unreasonably disrupts, obstructs, impairs or interferes with the normal use and operation of such facilities for their intended purposes; 3. Shall be operated at a volume of sound that is not be unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing or a nuisance to reasonable persons of normal sensitiveness within the range of audibility, considering the factors set forth in Section 9.36.020(B). If the noise producing source is on public property in a commercial zone (as defined by SCMC 9.36.020(C)(1)), amplified noise that can be heard 125 or more feet from the noise-producing source is presumptively unreasonably loud or disturbing as prohibited by this subsection. ... 4. Shall be operated in a manner that directs sound, to the extent feasible, toward open unoccupied space and away from residential and business uses; and 5. Shall not be used between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Santa Cruz regulates amplified sound under SCMC Chapter 9.40 (Sound Amplifying Equipment) and Chapter 9.36 (Noise), both amended by Ordinance No. 2025-03 (adopted March 2025) to add objective standards. Under SCMC 9.40.010, amplification devices may be used only for music or human speech, may not unreasonably interfere with hospitals, churches, schools, courthouses or city facilities, must be directed away from residential and business uses where feasible, and may not be used between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. SCMC 9.36.020(C) and 9.40.010(B)(3) add a bright-line rule: if amplified noise from a source on public property in a 'commercial zone' can be heard 125 or more feet away, it is presumptively unreasonably loud. The commercial zone is defined as the Downtown Plan Area, or within 75 feet of Soquel Avenue or Mission Street/Highway 1. Permitted special events under Chapters 10.64 and 10.65 are exempt.
Violations & Fines
First offense is an infraction; a repeat violation of the same section within 48 hours of citation is a misdemeanor (SCMC 9.36.030). Officers may cite observed violations without a victim's signature.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I not use a speaker or PA in Santa Cruz?
What is the 125-foot rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz
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