Amplified music rules in Washoe County, NV — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Unincorporated Washoe County has no separate amplified-music permit rule. Amplified music must not push the day-night average sound level above the Development Code's property-line limits (65 Ldn abutting residential), with a 10 dB penalty for sound made between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
There is no standalone amplified-music or party-sound ordinance in the Washoe County Code for unincorporated areas. Amplified music is judged against Development Code Article 414's day-night sound-level (Ldn) standards measured at the property line: 65 Ldn for property abutting residential uses and 75 Ldn in industrial zones. Because Article 414 adds a 10 dB weighting to noise made during nighttime hours (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.), amplified music late at night reaches the limit far sooner. Sound is measured with an A-weighted meter at the property line, at least three feet from any wall and three feet above ground. Inside Reno or Sparks, the applicable city noise ordinance governs amplified sound instead.
Amplified sound exceeding the Article 414 Ldn limits is a Development Code violation subject to code-enforcement abatement and penalties.
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