Ojai, CA Noise Ordinances: Outdoor Music (2026)

For private residences, outdoor music is treated the same as other amplified or instrumental sound under the County's nighttime noise ordinance (Article 11). Section 6299-2 lists radios, musical instruments, phonographs, televisions and any device for producing, reproducing or amplifying sound, and Section 6299-1 prohibits such noise in a residential zone if it is audible 50 feet from the property line during the 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. window. Outside that window, no countywide decibel cap applies to a homeowner's outdoor music. For commercial outdoor-music venues, restaurants, wineries and special events that require discretionary permits, the County applies General Plan Policy HAZ-9.2: as a new noise generator near noise-sensitive uses, the operation's outdoor noise at the nearest sensitive receptor's exterior wall must not exceed 55 dBA Leq from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., 50 dBA Leq from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 45 dBA Leq from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (or ambient plus 3 dBA). Such limits and event end-times are typically written into conditions of approval.