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

Section 20:3-13l of the Revised General Ordinances prohibits operating air conditioning or air handling devices, including heat pumps, that produce a sound level greater than 55 dBA at a real property line of a residential property. The limit does not apply when the device's operation produces less than a five dBA increase over the sound level that already exists without it, so a unit running in an already noisy area may be allowed even above the raw 55 dBA threshold if it barely changes the ambient level.

This provision sits inside Chapter 20:3, Prohibited Acts, alongside the City's other fixed-source limits, including the Table I property-line sound levels referenced elsewhere in the same section for loudspeakers, loading and refuse work. Complaints against an HVAC unit are investigated and enforced by the Directors of the Department of Health and Community Wellness, the Department of Engineering and the Department of Public Safety under Section 20:3-15. A property owner who cannot meet the 55 dBA limit, for example because relocating a rooftop condenser is impractical, can apply for a special variance under Section 20:3-14b by filing with the Directors and showing that compliance would be an unreasonable hardship; neighbors who believe they are harmed may file a competing statement, and the Directors may hold a public hearing before ruling.

Violations lead to a notice of violation and can trigger an abatement order under Section 20:3-17 giving the owner 10 to 30 days to bring the equipment into compliance.