Highlands County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Highlands County Code § 5.6-105(13)
- Covered equipment
- AC units, compressors, fans, blowers, fixed motors
- No time exemption
- Applies day or night, unlike many §5.6-105 rules
- Decibel backstop
- 65 dBA day/60 night residential, § 5.6-106(b)
- Penalty
- Class I civil infraction, separate each day
Summary
Section 5.6-105(13) of the Highlands County noise ordinance makes it a violation to run an air conditioner, compressor, power fan, blower or fixed motor that causes a noise disturbance plainly audible across a residential property line, unless the unit is muffled and deadened with adequate noise suppression devices, day or night.
(13)Fixed mechanical equipment. It shall be a violation of this section to use or operate any noise-creating air conditioner, compressor unit, power fan or blower, fixed electric motor or engine which causes a noise disturbance, unless that noise is muffled and deadened by adequate noise suppression and muffling devices to eliminate the noise disturbance across a real property line of any residential zoning district or residential area.
Full Breakdown
6-105. Item (13) covers "any noise-creating air conditioner, compressor unit, power fan or blower, fixed electric motor or engine" and makes operating one a violation if it causes a noise disturbance across a real property line of a residential zoning district or residential area, unless the unit is muffled and deadened by adequate noise suppression and muffling devices. 6-105, this one carries no nighttime curfew: an HVAC condenser or rooftop compressor that disturbs a neighbor is a violation any hour of the day if it is not adequately muffled.
6-105. 6-110(c). A property owner installing new HVAC equipment can avoid a complaint with standard vibration isolation or a sound blanket, since the ordinance ties the violation to whether the noise is "muffled and deadened by adequate noise suppression and muffling devices," not to the presence of the equipment itself.
Violations & Fines
A homeowner or landlord whose air conditioner, compressor or fixed motor is plainly audible across a residential property line without adequate muffling is in violation of section 5.6-105(13) any time of day. A code enforcement officer or sheriff's deputy issues a written warning, then a citation; the offense is a Class I civil infraction under section 5.6-110(c), and continuing noise racks up a new infraction every day it persists under section 5.6-110(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Highlands County noise ordinance apply to my HVAC unit at night only?
What decibel level is too loud for HVAC equipment?
Who enforces HVAC noise complaints in unincorporated Highlands County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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