Jefferson Parish, LA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Subsection (g)(9) carves generator noise out of the parish's Table 1 decibel caps in two situations. First, any noise from running a generator during an actual power outage in the area is exempt entirely, with no time-of-day restriction, so a resident or business keeping the lights on during storm-related outages, common in a hurricane-prone parish, does not have to worry about the 55 dB(A) nighttime residential cap or the 45 dB(A) multifamily cap while the outage lasts. ; a generator test run outside that fifteen-hour window loses the exemption and falls back under the ordinary Table 1 limits for the receiving land use category, meaning a nighttime test audible above 55 dB(A) at a neighboring residential property line can be cited like any other noise violation.

This sits among several other exemptions in subsection (g): muffled lawn and power equipment during set daytime hours, emergency vehicles, permitted events, church bells, and parish garbage collection are also carved out of the decibel table, while temporary construction gets a modified exemption tied to the industrial cap and the separate hours in subsection (h)(6). The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office enforces the section under subsection (d), and a generator test that runs outside the exempt hours and exceeds Table 1 is subject to the general Code penalty at section 1-10: up to $1,000 per violation or six months imprisonment, with continuing exceedances charged day by day.