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

Outdoor music at backyard gatherings, vacation rentals, wineries, and event venues is a recurring source of the noise complaints that prompted Tuolumne County's recent ordinance discussions. Even so, the unincorporated area has no standalone outdoor-music or entertainment-noise ordinance, and the county FAQ confirms there is no general noise ordinance at all. For private gatherings, the practical limit is California Penal Code section 415, which allows the Sheriff to cite a person who maliciously and willfully disturbs others with loud and unreasonable noise. For commercial or organized events, a different layer can apply: venues such as wineries, resorts, campgrounds, or event centers often operate under a county use permit, and the county FAQ explains that many projects are conditioned to meet specific noise standards. Those project-level conditions, set through Title 17 zoning and CEQA review, can effectively cap or time-limit amplified outdoor music at a particular site, and violating them is a code-compliance matter. The 2024 proposed countywide ordinance would have restricted nighttime amplified noise (10 p.m.-7 a.m., audible at 100 feet) with exemptions for fairgrounds and county-sponsored events, but it had not been adopted as of the latest reporting, so it does not yet govern outdoor music.