Amplified music rules in Ventura County, CA — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Ventura County's Ordinance No. 4124 specifically names radios, musical instruments, audio equipment and any device for amplifying sound as loud or raucous noise. Using amplified sound in a residential zone that is audible 50 feet away between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. is prohibited. Daytime amplified music is not capped by a countywide decibel rule.
Amplified music in unincorporated Ventura County is regulated by the nighttime noise ordinance (Ventura County Ordinance Code, Division 6, Chapter 2, Article 11). Section 6299-2 defines loud or raucous noise to include the use or operation of any radio, musical instrument, phonograph, television receiver, video cassette recorder, or any machine or device for the production, reproduction or amplification of the human voice or any other sound. Under Section 6299-1, creating such noise in a residential zone (R-1, R-2, R-P-D, R-O, R-E or their coastal equivalents) that is audible to the human ear 50 feet from the property line of the source between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. is prohibited. The rule does not depend on a decibel meter; audibility at 50 feet during the nighttime window is the test. Outside the 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. window, the County does not impose a general decibel cap on amplified music at private residences, though discretionary commercial or event uses can be conditioned under the General Plan's noise-compatibility standards for stationary sources.
Amplified-music violations at night are enforced under Section 6299-3 as a misdemeanor/infraction punishable per Section 13-2 of the County Ordinance Code, with complaints handled by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Permitted commercial or event noise is controlled through conditions of approval rather than this ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Ventura County, CA
On county roads, painted curbs set parking rights under Traffic Ordinance Sec. 7200: red means no stopping, standing, or parking at any time; green allows 24...
Ventura County, CA
On county roads, yellow curbs are for loading freight or passengers and white curbs for brief passenger loading or mail (Sec. 7200). For new development, the...
Ventura County, CA
Designated communities ban oversized vehicles from county roads. Oak Park (Sec. 7251) bars vehicles over 25 ft long, 80 in wide, or 82 in high. Oak View and ...
Ventura County, CA
The Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance lets operative, licensed, registered vehicles park in a driveway leading to a garage or carport, plus a paved strip up to 10...
Ventura County, CA
Ventura County has no separate EV-parking ordinance in its zoning or traffic code. EV charging infrastructure for new construction in the unincorporated coun...
Ventura County, CA
Unincorporated Ventura County has no general overnight parking ban on county roads; the default is the state 72-hour rule (CVC 22651(k)). Oak Park, Oak View,...
See how Ventura County's amplified music & events rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.