Plano, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Protected delivery window
- 10:00 p.m.–5:00 a.m.
- Max delivery duration
- one hour
- Noise ceiling
- 65 dBA at nearest residence
- Allowed cargo
- food, non-alcoholic drinks, supplies, ice
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 14-89(a)(13)
- Penalty if defense fails
- up to $500/day fine
Summary
A Plano food service establishment that accepts supply deliveries between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. avoids a noise-nuisance citation only if the delivery lasts no more than one hour, involves only food, non-alcoholic beverages, supplies, or ice, and stays at or under 65 dBA measured from the nearest residential property, per Code of Ordinances § 14-89(a)(13).
(13)The noise is produced by a food service establishment accepting delivery of supplies or other items, except that if the delivery is occurring between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., then:a.The delivery lasts for a maximum of one hour;b.The delivery is only for food, non-alcoholic beverages, food service supplies, and ice; andc.The delivery sound level when measured from the residential property closest in proximity to the food service establishment does not exceed 65 dBA, excluding traffic and other background noise that can be reasonably excluded. For purposes of this paragraph, a food service establishment has the meaning provided in Chapter 9 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 153).
Full Breakdown
Plano's general noise ordinance makes any specific noise level over the Table 1 caps in § 14-87 a presumed nuisance and, under § 14-86, a prosecutable offense. Section 14-89 lists affirmative defenses to that prosecution, and paragraph (a)(13) addresses food-service delivery noise directly. is only defensible if all three conditions hold: the delivery lasts a maximum of one hour; it is limited to food, non-alcoholic beverages, food service supplies, and ice, excluding alcohol deliveries; and the delivery sound level, measured from the residential property closest to the establishment, does not exceed 65 dBA, with traffic and other background noise reasonably excluded from that measurement.
A 'food service establishment' carries the meaning given in Chapter 9 of the Code (the city's Food Code). If a nighttime delivery fails any one of these three conditions, running past an hour, involving an alcohol delivery, or pushing the perimeter reading above 65 dBA, the establishment loses the defense and the delivery noise is prosecutable as an ordinary noise-nuisance offense. 8, the same enforcement chain that applies to every noise offense under this article. The defense was added as part of the noise article's comprehensive rewrite under Ordinance No. 2025-8-3, adopted August 11, 2025.
Violations & Fines
A food service establishment whose nighttime delivery noise exceeds 65 dBA at the closest residential property, runs longer than one hour, or involves anything other than food, non-alcoholic beverages, supplies, or ice loses its § 14-89(a)(13) defense and is subject to prosecution under § 14-86 for an unreasonable noise nuisance. Penalties follow § 14-91.8: up to $500 per day, with escalating minimum fines of $300 and $400 for a second and third conviction within three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Plano restaurant receive supply deliveries after 10 p.m.?
Does the 65 dBA delivery limit include street traffic noise?
What counts as a 'food service establishment' for the delivery defense?
What if an alcohol delivery happens at 11 p.m.?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plano
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Plano to another location·View the Texas noise from specific sources overview
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Delivery Truck Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Collin County handle delivery truck noise.