Tucson, AZ Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)

Tucson Code § 16-31(b)(2) targets a specific, common commercial-noise complaint: loud disturbing noise created in connection with loading or unloading any vehicle. Like the other subsection (b) prohibitions, it operates as a standalone violation independent of the Table I property-line decibel limits in § 16-31(a), the code states these activities are "in violation of this chapter notwithstanding the fact that there is no apparent violation of subsection (a)," so a delivery operation that stays under 72 dB(A) daytime commercial limits can still be cited if the banging, dropping, or engine noise from loading is plainly audible beyond the property line and disturbs the peace of a neighborhood or person.

This gives residents near loading docks, grocery stores, and warehouses a tool against early-morning or late-night delivery noise that a strict decibel reading might not catch, particularly for impulsive sounds like a pallet jack, tailgate, or dock plate slamming that a sound meter can under-measure. The provision applies at any hour; unlike the construction-noise carve-out in § 16-31(b)(5), there is no time-window exemption written into the loading/unloading clause itself, though a business can seek a written temporary exemption from the city manager under § 16-31(d) or a hardship variance from the board of adjustment under § 16-31(e) if the activity predates the ordinance.

As with the rest of § 16-31, if the specific person responsible can't be identified, the owner, lessee, or occupant of the property where the loading occurred is deemed responsible under § 16-31(j).