Commerce City, CO Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Section 21-7602 covers screening for areas of low visual interest, and its mechanical equipment provision applies to every primary structure except single-family residential uses. Rooftop, wall-mounted and ground-mounted mechanical equipment and appurtenances must be screened from all sides, and the screening enclosure has to reuse at least one of the predominant facade materials and one of the predominant colors of the primary building so it reads as part of the architecture rather than an add-on. Air conditioning compressors specifically must be completely screened, and any rooftop or wall vents and flues that poke up above the nearest parapet have to be painted to match the roof.

Multi-family air-conditioning units get a slightly softer standard, screened only to the maximum extent feasible rather than completely. The noise clause layers on top of the screening requirement: any rooftop equipment that generates noise audible off-site must be baffled or otherwise attenuated so the unavoidable noise is directed upward, away from adjacent lots, rather than left to radiate sideways toward neighboring buildings or yards. This sits alongside the broader land-use compatibility standard in § 21-7601(10), which tells developers to limit the placement of noise-generating activities near incompatible neighboring uses. Compliance is verified during development review and building permit issuance, and enforcement runs through the Land Development Code's general compliance article, Article X.