Utah County, UT Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Utah County, 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
- Amplified sound construction exception
- none allowed
- Applicable limit instead
- standard zone dB(A) table
- Residential cap example
- 55 dB(A) day / 50 dB(A) night
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Dept.
- Penalty class
- class B misdemeanor
Summary
Utah County flatly denies amplified sound the construction-noise exception: no matter how loud a job site is allowed to be, amplified sound equipment must still meet the ordinary residential, commercial, or industrial decibel limits at all times.
Exception: Sound from construction work at a site for which a current building permit has been issued and is in effect shall be deemed to be received in an industrial district during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Under no circumstances shall amplified sound be considered as construction work activity, nor shall the period of this exception exceed one (1) year.
Full Breakdown
Utah County Code § 7.12.030(D) creates a narrow exception letting construction work on a permitted site be treated as if it were happening in an industrial zone (with its 80 dB(A) ceiling) between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. But the same subsection immediately carves amplified sound out of that break: under no circumstances shall amplified sound be considered construction work activity. That means a loudspeaker, PA system, or other amplified sound equipment at a construction site, or anywhere else in unincorporated Utah County, cannot piggyback on the looser industrial-zone allowance and must instead comply with whatever dB(A) ceiling actually applies to the zone where it is heard, whether that is 55/50 dB(A) residential, 65/60 dB(A) commercial, or 80 dB(A) industrial from the § 7.12.030(C) table.
The Utah County Community Development Department monitors for these violations under § 7.12.040 and can refer them to the County Attorney. Because amplified sound gets no special carve-out, a homeowner or contractor running speakers or a PA system next to a residential zone at 8:00 p.m. is still capped at 55 dB(A) off-site, even if ordinary construction noise at the same hour would be allowed up to 80 dB(A) under the industrial-deeming exception.
Violations & Fines
Running amplified sound equipment above the applicable zone's dB(A) ceiling is a class B misdemeanor under § 7.12.050, with each day of continued violation a separate offense; the County Attorney may also seek civil abatement or an injunction against the equipment's continued use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a contractor run a PA system as loud as construction equipment?
What counts as amplified sound under this rule?
Does a special event permit change this?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Utah County
Compare Utah County to another location·View the Utah noise ordinances overview
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