Gilbert, AZ Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Section 42-61(c)(4) of the Gilbert Town Code exempts "emergency generators" and the authorized testing of such equipment from the town's noise level regulations, alongside safety signals, warning and alarm devices and storm warning sirens. The exemption list does not name portable, recreational or job-site generators, so those machines fall under the community noise standards. Two neighboring exemptions also reach generators: public or utility owned stationary mechanical equipment is exempt while it is properly functioning under manufacturer's specifications (§ 42-61(c)(11)), and noise from emergency work, including a utility restoring service, is exempt (§ 42-61(c)(6)). Exempt activity can still be subject to other town regulations, including the Land Development Code.

For a generator that is not exempt, § 42-61(e)(1) sets the limit. The reading is taken from the inside of the complainant's residential dwelling, enclosed commercial building or suite, or enclosed industrial building or suite, with windows and doors closed. In a residential area the cap is 45 dB(A) from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and 55 dB(A) from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Commercial areas get 55 dB(A) at night and 65 dB(A) by day. Industrial areas get 60 dB(A) at night and 70 dB(A) by day. The noise must exceed the standard for more than five minutes in residential areas, or more than 15 minutes in commercial and industrial areas, before it is unlawful. Where the measurement point sits on the boundary between two zoning districts, the lower standard applies (§ 42-61(e)(2)).

Officers measure on the a-weighted scale with a sound level meter set to slow response, using fast response only for impulse noises or rapidly varying levels, after verifying the meter with an acoustical calibrator (§ 42-61(d)). A generator that runs a construction site is also reached by § 42-63, which bars construction noise more than five dB(A) over the community standard at the nearest property line unless the building and code compliance department issued a permit. In residential areas, § 42-64(a) separately prohibits unnecessary, excessive or offensive noise that disturbs the peace of a neighborhood, and the factors weighed include time of day, duration, whether the noise is constant, and proximity to sleeping areas.