Kyle, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Kyle City Code § 23-60(8) declares it a nuisance to allow the discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any fixed and stationary steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, or motor vehicle or boat engine, except through an exhaust system in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, though the subsection carves out an exception for trains and locomotives. A portable or standby generator counts as a stationary internal combustion engine while it runs on a property, so venting its exhaust noise into the open air without a functioning muffler system falls squarely within the prohibition.

The provision sits under the general § 23-60 nuisance standard, which reaches any noise causing material distress, discomfort or injury to persons of ordinary sensibilities in the vicinity, meaning even a generator that keeps its exhaust system intact can still be cited if its noise substantially interferes with a neighbor's comfortable enjoyment of their home. Section 23-61 places responsibility on whoever controls the property where the generator runs, not only the operator, and § 23-64 sets the penalty citywide for any Article IV noise offense. The article was last readopted by Ordinance 775 on February 4, 2014.