Greenburgh, NY Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Section 380-7F of the Noise chapter directly reaches generator noise by prohibiting 'the discharge of exhaust into the open air generated by any steam engine, internal-combustion engine, stationary or mobile, air compressor or other device which creates an unreasonably intrusive noise,' with a carve-out where the discharge passes through a muffler or other device that effectively prevents loud, unusual or explosive noise. A portable or standby generator running without a functioning muffler, or one loud enough to meet the § 380-4 unreasonably-intrusive-noise factors, such as volume, duration, time of day and proximity to a home, falls squarely within this prohibition.

The rule is not tied to a specific decibel number the way § 380-7C is; instead it turns on whether the exhaust noise is unreasonably intrusive under the multi-factor test, and on whether a muffler is present and functioning. Enforcement follows the same chapter-wide procedure: § 380-8 requires officers to use a calibrated, A-weighted sound-level meter on the slow-response setting, taken at or within 10 feet of the affected property line, with the Town Police as the default enforcing agency. Because § 380-3 exempts sounds regulated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act or other preempting law, a generator's noise tied to a federally regulated worksite could fall outside this section, but a residential or commercial backup generator running for hours during a power outage does not get that exemption.