Alhambra, CA Noise Ordinances: Outdoor Music (2026)

The City of Alhambra handles outdoor music through both its general noise standards and a permit-based event exemption. Day to day, outdoor music must not produce received noise above the Section 18.02.050 interior limits of 55 dBA (residential), 60 dBA (Mixed Use), or 70 dBA (commercial), measured inside the affected property with doors and windows closed. For one-off events, Section 18.02.060(A) exempts occasional outdoor gatherings, public dances, shows, and sporting and entertainment events from the noise standards, but only when the event is conducted pursuant to a permit or license issued by the appropriate jurisdiction relative to staging the event, and that permit or license may itself restrict noise. In other words, a properly permitted festival or concert can lawfully exceed the routine dBA caps within the conditions of its permit, while an unpermitted backyard party with outdoor music remains subject to the ordinary Section 18.02.050 limits. Outdoor public-address speaker systems used at a fixed business location are separately governed by Section 18.02.090 (commercial zones, city permit, 10 watts / 95 dBA at four feet). Live or amplified music can be quantified with a five-minute meter reading under Section 18.02.030. These are city rules; an event in incorporated Alhambra follows the city code and its event-permit conditions, not Los Angeles County's noise rules, which cover only unincorporated areas.