Shasta County, CA Noise Ordinances: Outdoor Music (2026)

The County of Shasta (California) regulates outdoor music primarily through its general noise standards and land-use process rather than a dedicated music ordinance. Outdoor music must comply with the General Plan Noise Element (Section 5.11), which limits non-transportation noise at the property line of a noise-sensitive use to 55 dB hourly Leq during the day (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 50 dB at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.). Because the Noise Element lowers those limits by 5 dB for noises consisting primarily of music or speech, outdoor music is effectively held to about 50 dB daytime and 45 dB at night at a receiving residence. Larger or commercial outdoor events - concerts, festivals, venues - may require a use permit or other land-use approval through the Shasta County Resource Management Department (Planning), and any conditions of approval can impose additional limits or cutoff times on amplified outdoor sound. For non-event outdoor music that disturbs neighbors, the County directs complaints to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line (530-245-6540) under California Penal Code Section 415, and persistent problems can be abated as a nuisance under County Code Chapter 8.28.