The City of Santa Barbara caps mechanical equipment at 53 dBA measured at the property line of any adjacent parcel used or zoned residential, public, or semi-public. SBMC Section 9.16.070.D sets that limit, and data-center chillers and generators must meet it.
SBMC Chapter 9.16 requires all mechanical equipment other than vehicles, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, to be insulated, with sound at the property line of an adjacent residential, public, or semi-public parcel capped at 53 dBA. Zoning Section 30.180.110 ties land use back to that chapter: a permitted noise source later found over the limit must be relocated, replaced, or modified. Projects that miss the City's published setback guidelines, or that face an enforcement complaint, must submit an acoustical study. Compliance is confirmed by a noise test under SBMC 9.16.100 before final building inspection.
Equipment exceeding 53 dBA must be removed, relocated, or altered at the owner's expense under SBMC Section 9.16.110, and noise over the limit is prima facie evidence of a Chapter 9.16 violation.
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