Fullerton, CA Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

FMC § 15.90.020 defines a FIXED NOISE SOURCE to expressly include pumps, fans, compressors, generators, air conditioners and refrigeration equipment, pulling every rooftop condenser, heat pump, and pool pump in the city into Chapter 15.90's noise scheme rather than leaving mechanical equipment unregulated. Section 15.90.050(B) then imposes a specific installation-stage duty: air conditioning, refrigeration, and pool equipment must be certified to be within the provisions of this chapter for night and day operation noise levels before it goes into service. That certification requirement ties the equipment to whichever numeric standard applies to the property, the 55/55 dBA daytime and 45/50 dBA nighttime interior/exterior limits of the Residential Noise Zone under § 15.90.030(A) for a home's condenser, or the Table 2-1 commercial limits of § 15.90.030(B) for a restaurant's rooftop unit.

Unlike the construction and property-maintenance activities listed in § 15.90.050(A), HVAC and pool equipment installation gets no blanket exemption for daytime hours; the certification obligation in § 15.90.050(B) applies without the 7:00 a.m.-to-8:00 p.m. carve-out those other activities receive. A homeowner or contractor installing a noisy condenser against a shared property line can be brought into compliance by the Community and Economic Development Director's Code Enforcement Division under § 15.90.070, which investigates noise complaints and can require equipment relocation, screening, or a quieter unit.