Baytown, TX Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Baytown's noise ordinance (chapter 34, article VII) makes it unlawful to create any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise discernible in the city's jurisdiction, defined as within the city limits plus 5,000 feet beyond them. Section 34-366 then carves out specific exceptions to prosecution, and subsection (7) covers air conditioning units directly: the sound an AC unit produces is exempt only if it does not exceed 65 dB(A) measured on residential property or 75 dB(A) measured on nonresidential property, with the reading always taken from the residential property receiving the noise.

If a compressor or condenser exceeds those thresholds, the exception does not apply and the unit falls back under the general prohibition in section 34-362 and the maximum permissible sound levels in section 34-363 (75 dB(A) daytime, 65 dB(A) nighttime for impulse-type readings). Measurements must be taken with a type 1 or type 2 calibrated sound level meter using the A-weighting scale, per section 34-364. The ordinance was enacted by Ordinance No. 12,151 in January 2013 and amended by Ordinance No. 12,825 in April 2015.

There is no separate decibel table specific to mechanical/HVAC equipment beyond this exception; it is folded into the same enforcement scheme used for all residential noise complaints, meaning a homeowner or contractor installing a new condenser unit should site it so that decibel readings at the nearest residential property line stay under the 65 dB(A) ceiling.