Fresno County, CA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Fresno County, 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
- Decibel limit
- 50 dBA at 100 feet without a permit
- Permit issuer
- Director of Public Works and Planning
- Overnight noise
- Unnecessary noise banned 10pm-6am
- Excludes
- Courthouse Park (separate Chapter 13.20 rule)
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 and 6 months
Summary
Fresno County Code Section 13.16.030(L) bars anyone in a county park or recreation area from running a loudspeaker or similar device that produces amplified sound louder than fifty decibels measured one hundred feet away, unless the county's director of public works and planning has issued a written permit first.
Use or operate for any purpose any loudspeaker, loudspeaker system, or similar device which produces amplified sound exceeding fifty decibels as measured at a distance of one hundred feet (thirty meters) on a sound level meter using the A-weighted network except in strict accordance with a written permit therefor obtained from the director of public works and planning or designee, who shall have the authority to impose conditions with respect to the time, place, number of participants and spectators, type of equipment, sound levels, and such other reasonable conditions as are deemed necessary where such amplifying devices are in use;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
030 lists twenty prohibited activities for any county-owned park or recreation area, and Subsection L targets amplified sound specifically. Once a loudspeaker, PA system, or similar device pushes sound above fifty decibels on an A-weighted sound level meter, measured from one hundred feet, or roughly thirty meters, away, operating it without a written permit from the director of public works and planning, or a designee, is unlawful. The director isn't limited to a yes-or-no decision: the section lets the director set conditions on the time of use, the place, the number of participants and spectators, the type of equipment, and the sound levels allowed once a permit issues.
unlawful regardless of decibel level or permit status, and Subsection K, which requires a written permit for any admission-charging concert, show, or exhibition in the first place. 060(Q) aimed at government-building operations. 010.
Violations & Fines
Because Chapter 13.16 doesn't label this offense an infraction, an unpermitted loudspeaker over fifty decibels defaults to the county's general misdemeanor penalty under Section 1.12.010: a fine of up to five hundred dollars, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of continued violation counted separately. Park rangers or sheriff's deputies patrolling the park can cite the operator directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play amplified music at a Fresno County park?
What conditions can Fresno County put on an amplified sound permit?
Does the Fresno County amplified sound rule apply to Courthouse Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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