West Haven, CT Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

The operative text is § 154-6C of the West Haven Noise Control Ordinance (Chapter 154), which the City Council adopted on 10-14-2003. It sits in the list of prohibited noise activities under the heading "Exhaust discharge." No person may discharge into the ambient air the blowdown of any steam vent or the exhaust of any stationary internal-combustion engine or air compressor equipment unless the discharge is through a muffler as defined by § 154-3 or through an apparatus providing equal noise reduction. The chapter does not use the word generator, but a fixed engine-driven generator is a stationary internal-combustion engine, which is the printed category.

Section 154-3 defines a muffler as a device for abating sounds such as those produced by escaping gases. The last sentence of § 154-6C adds a second layer: the exhaust rule is also subject to the prohibitions of § 154-5. That means a muffled generator can still violate the chapter if the sound crossing the property line exceeds the zone standards. For a residential emitter, those are 55 dBA to a residential receptor by day and 45 dBA at night, with nighttime hours running from 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. Commercial emitters face 45 dBA at night toward homes, and industrial emitters 51 dBA.

Emergencies get separate treatment. Section 154-5E(2) exempts noise created as a result of or relating to an emergency, and § 154-3 defines an emergency as any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or imminent physical trauma or property damage which demands immediate action. Inspectors measure about one foot beyond the emitter's boundary inside the receptor's premises under § 154-4, and the Director of Health can inspect noise sources under § 154-9. A person can seek a variance from the Director of Health under § 154-11A.