Salinas Municipal Code Art. XIII Sound Amplification

(a) No person shall use or cause to be used any sound amplifying device or equipment at any place in the city, whether on public property or private property, except in accordance with subdivision (b) of this section.

(b) Sound amplifying equipment and sound trucks:

(1) Shall only be used to produce music or human speech, or both.

(2) Shall not be emitted near hospitals, churches, schools, courthouses, or city facilities in a manner that unreasonably disrupts, obstructs, impairs, or interferes with the normal use and operation of such facilities for their intended purposes.

(3) Shall be operated at a volume of sound that is not unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing, or a nuisance to reasonable persons of normal sensitivities within the range of audibility, considering the factors set forth in section 5-12.02 of this Code.

(4) Shall be operated in a manner that directs sound, to the extent feasible, toward open unoccupied space and away from residential uses.

(5) Shall not be used between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

(Ord. No. 2619(NCS), § 3, 6-18-2019)

This article shall not be construed to apply to the use of sound amplifying equipment or devices under the following circumstances:

(a) Sound amplification equipment or devices used on privately owned property, whether indoors or outdoors, where the sound produced does not carry beyond the property line or does not unreasonably disturb any person outside the property where the sound is generated.

(b) Sound amplification equipment or devices used in conformity with a special event permit issued by the city.

(c) Radios, stereo systems, televisions, and other similar audio equipment, wherever used, when the volume does not exceed the volume of normal conversational speech.

(d) Sound amplification equipment or devices used on emergency vehicles or by government employees in connection with any activity undertaken for the protection of the public health or safety.

(Ord. No. 2619(NCS), § 3, 6-18-2019)

No person shall operate or permit to be operated any sound-amplification equipment from any aircraft in or over the City of Salinas for any purpose, except that law enforcement agencies are specifically exempt from the provisions of this section.

(Ord. No. 2619(NCS), § 3, 6-18-2019)

(a) A violation of this article shall be a public nuisance and may be abated by the city attorney.

(b) Any violation of the provisions of this article shall be an infraction or subject to administrative citation, at the discretion of the city attorney. Each hour such violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such.

(1) The first violation of this article shall be subject to a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).

(2) The second violation of this article during a twelve-month period shall be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(3) The third and subsequent violations of this article during a twelve-month period shall be subject to a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

(Ord. No. 2619(NCS), § 3, 6-18-2019)