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

Section 26-67 of the Vermilion Parish Code lists noise sources to which the article's operational performance standards do not apply. Item (12) reads: "Any noise resulting from the use of a generator(s) while there is a power outage in the area or resulting from routine testing or maintenance of generator(s)." The section's history line lists Ord. No. 2005-O-17 (Amd. 2), dated 4-5-2021, so the item sits in a section the Police Jury has amended since the original 2005 adoption.

The exception has two triggers as printed. The first is a power outage in the area, which fits a hurricane or storm outage on the Gulf side of Acadiana. The second is routine testing or maintenance of the generator, which covers the weekly exercise cycle of a standby unit. Nothing in item (12) attaches a clock time, a distance or a decibel ceiling to the testing trigger, and nothing extends the exception to a generator run for any other reason, such as powering a work site or an event.

A generator that falls outside both triggers is measured like any other source under section 26-65. The Table I limits apply at the receptor property line, and the supplemental standards in subsection (e) bar amplified sound only, so they do not turn on a generator. Where a generator is used for nighttime construction, section 26-68(4) bars construction and demolition activity from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays, and section 26-70 lets the Police Jury grant a variance for nighttime construction projects.

The article covers only the unincorporated area, under sections 26-63 and 26-64.