Carmel City Code Sec. 6-158 treats outdoor music like any other sound source: it must stay within the zoning dBA limits and not be audible 50 feet from its source. Authorized parades, festivals, and concert performances are exempted under Sec. 6-158(b)(4), as are normal sounds of established businesses.
There is no separate 'outdoor music' ordinance in Carmel; outdoor and amplified music are regulated under the general Sec. 6-158 noise rule. Music that is audible 50 feet or more from its source, exceeds the zoning-district decibel chart for five minutes within a 30-minute period, or exceeds 70 dBA at 50 feet can be a violation. In residential zones the limit falls to 50 dBA after 10:00 p.m.; in business/mixed zones it falls to 50 dBA after 11:00 p.m. The key carve-out for organized outdoor music is Sec. 6-158(b)(4), which exempts 'parades, festivals, carnivals, fairs, celebrations, concert performances, band and drum corps performances, and artistic performances, as well as any rehearsals for same, and all other events authorized by the Board of Public Works and Safety or other appropriate governmental entity.' Sec. 6-158(b)(9) also exempts sounds from the 'normal conduct of legally established non-transient businesses' when customary, incidental, and within the normal range for such use, which can cover routine outdoor music at an established venue. Unpermitted backyard or commercial outdoor music that disturbs neighbors remains subject to the dBA limits.
Unpermitted outdoor music that breaks the dBA or audibility limits is an infraction under Sec. 6-158(d), with fines from up to $250 (first) to up to $2,500 (fourth and subsequent). Sworn Carmel Metropolitan Police officers cite violations (Sec. 6-158(f)); the Carmel City Court hears them (Sec. 6-158(e)). For an organized event, obtaining authorization through the Board of Public Works and Safety is the path to the Sec. 6-158(b)(4) exemption.
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