La Verne Municipal Code Ch. 8.24 Sound Equipment Regulations

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meaning specified in this section:

"Central traffic district"

means and includes that portion of the city defined as such in this code, or any other ordinance adopted by the city.

"Person"

includes the singular and plural and means and includes any person, firm, corporation, association, club, partnership, society or any other form of association or organization.

"Sound equipment"

means and includes any loudspeaker, public address system, sound amplifier, radio or phonograph equipped with a loudspeaker or sound amplifier, or any machine or device for the amplification or reproduction of the human voice, music or any other sound, when operated or maintained in such a manner as to cause any such sound to be audible to a person of average hearing faculties or capacity in, on or over any public street, highway, sidewalk, public building, park or other public place or any private premises other than the premises upon which any such machine or device is being operated or maintained. It shall not include the operation of any public address system, loudspeaker or other machine or device for the necessary amplification or reproduction of sound in connection with any program, entertainment, contest, public celebration, performance, show, exhibit or similar event, with a volume no louder than necessary for the convenient hearing of those within the building, enclosure or space in which such program, entertainment, contest, public celebration, performance, show, exhibition, or similar event is staged or conducted; the operation of any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph or other machine or device for the producing or reproducing of sound with a volume no louder than necessary for the convenient hearing of the person or persons who are within the room, building, vehicle, chamber or space, in which such a machine or device is operated and are voluntary listeners thereto; or warning device on authorized emergency vehicles or horns or other authorized warning devices on any vehicle used only for traffic safety purposes.

"Sound truck"

means any vehicle having mounted thereon, or attached thereto, any sound equipment as defined in this section.

(Prior code § 4550)

The use of sound equipment shall be in accordance with the following regulations:

A. Registration Required. No person shall operate, maintain or cause, allow or permit to be operated or maintained any sound equipment in the city before filing a registration statement in writing with the chief of police on a form to be provided by the chief of police. Such statement shall be filed in duplicate and shall contain the following information:

1. Name and address of registrant;

2. Address of place of business or employment of registrant;

3. Name and address of owner of sound equipment;

4. Name and address of person in direct charge of sound equipment;

5. Names and addresses of all persons who will use or operate the sound equipment;

6. A general description of the sound equipment which is to be used;

7. The location where such sound equipment is to be used; if on a sound truck the name and address of the registered owner and the license number of same, and a general statement of the section or sections of the city in which such sound truck is to be operated;

8. A general statement of the purpose for which such sound equipment is to be used;

9. The proposed hours of operation of such sound equipment;

10. The dates of proposed operation of such sound equipment;

11. The maximum sound production power of the sound equipment to be used; state the following:

a. The wattage to be used,

b. The volume in decibels of the sound which will be produced,

c. The approximate maximum distance for which sound will be thrown from the sound equipment.

B. Registration Statement Amendment. All persons operating or maintaining or causing, allowing or permitting to be operated or maintained any sound equipment shall amend any registration statement filed pursuant to this section within forty-eight hours after any change in the information therein furnished.

C. Registration and Identification. The chief of police shall return to each registrant under subsection A of this section one copy of the registration statement duly certified by him or her as a correct copy of the statement. The certified copy of the registration statement shall be in the possession of any person operating the sound equipment at all times, and the copy shall be displayed promptly to any peace officer upon request.

(Prior code §§ 4551—4551.07)

The operation or maintenance of sound equipment shall be subject to the following regulations:

A. The only sounds permitted are music or human speech.

B. Operations are permitted only between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m. of each day, excluding Sundays and holidays.

C. Sound equipment shall not be operated on any sound truck on any street or highway in the city unless the sound truck is operated at a speed of at least ten miles per hour, except when such truck is stopped or impeded by traffic, or in obedience to traffic signs or signals or the lawful orders of any police officer; when such sound truck is stopped by traffic or in obedience to such traffic signs or signals or police officer, the sound equipment thereon shall not be operated for longer than one minute at any one stop.

D. Sound shall not be issued within one hundred yards of:

1. Any hospital;

2. Any school, except after school hours and on days when school is not in session and when the school is not being used for the purpose of a public meeting;

3. Any church, except when the same is not being used for religious services of classes;

4. The city hall, except after five p.m. and on legal holidays;

5. Mortuary or cemetery.

E. No sound truck or sound equipment shall be operated or maintained within the central traffic district.

F. The human speech or music amplified shall not be profane, lewd, indecent or slanderous.

G. The volume of sound shall be controlled so that it will not be audible for a distance in excess of one hundred fifty feet from the vehicle, or the exterior boundaries of the premises upon which the sound equipment is located, and so that the volume is not unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing or a nuisance to persons within the area of audibility.

(Prior code § 4551.08)

No person shall operate, or cause, allow or permit to be operated any aircraft for any purpose in or over the city from which any sound equipment is being operated with volume sufficiently loud to be audible to a person of average hearing faculties or capacity in or on any public street, highway, sidewalk, public building, park or other public place, or in or on any private premises in the city.

(Prior code § 4554)