Rochester Hills, MI Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)

Section 46-94 of the Rochester Hills performance standards chapter (Ch. 46, Art. IV) does not stop at the numeric decibel table in subsection (3); subsection (1) adds a separate rule aimed at exactly the kind of noise delivery trucks generate. It requires that objectionable sounds of an intermittent nature, or sounds characterized by high frequencies, such as backup alarms, air brakes, hydraulic lift gates and idling diesel engines, be controlled even if they fall below the numeric decibel limits, so they do not become a nuisance to adjacent uses.

The section expressly says this control obligation applies particularly to loading and unloading areas in commercial or industrial districts that sit adjacent to residential districts, the exact configuration of a shopping center or warehouse loading dock backing up to houses. Because the rule is written as a nuisance-prevention standard rather than a flat time-of-day ban, a business cannot rely solely on staying under the 65/75 dBA table in § 46-94(3) if repeated intermittent truck noise, such as beeping or banging pallets, is still disturbing a nearby residential use.

Subsection (2)(b) does carve out a construction-noise exemption between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but that exemption is limited to construction activity and does not cover routine commercial deliveries. Enforcement and penalties follow the same path as the rest of Chapter 46's performance standards: since the article is not designated a municipal civil infraction, a violation defaults to the misdemeanor penalty in § 1-16, up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine, or both, with each day the disturbance continues treated as a separate offense. Compliance action typically starts with a complaint that triggers the inspection and compliance-verification duty the property owner carries under § 46-101.