New Brunswick, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Section 17.03.225, Outdoor mechanical equipment, applies to all necessary heating, ventilation, air-conditioning units and compressors, auxiliary power generators, swimming pool, hot tub, spa and whirlpool pumps, heat pumps, and any other similar outdoor mechanical equipment. Four standards apply together.

Noise: subsection A requires all outdoor mechanical equipment to be muffled so as to comply with both the Noise Control Act of 1971 (N.J.S.A. 13:1G-1 et seq.) and the New Jersey Noise Control Regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:29), as most recently amended.

Distance: subsection B sets the minimum setback at ten (10) feet from any property line abutting a residential zone or residential use, or five feet from any nonresidential property line.

Screening: subsection C requires the equipment to be totally screened by evergreen plantings whose height at planting equals the height of each piece of equipment, completely behind the building envelope, or screened by fencing or other enclosures specifically designed to screen outdoor mechanical equipment.

Quiet-unit and small-lot relief: subsection D lets outdoor HVAC equipment with a product specification at or below forty (40) decibels sit up to five feet from the nearest property line, but only in the R-5, R-6, R-7 and commercial and industrial zones. Subsection E lets the setback drop to eight (8) feet on undersized parcels whose lot width is twenty-one (21) feet or less. The section was last amended by Ordinance O-012505 on 2-5-25.

The separate noise chapter also reaches a running compressor. Section 8.28.040 sets maximum permissible sound levels for stationary sources in dBA, measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property, and Section 8.28.050 A says no person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit any noise disturbance.