Orem, UT Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Orem City Code 22-14-20(E)
- What's required
- Show mechanical equipment location and noise mitigation on site plan
- Reviewing agency
- Development Services / Development Review Committee
- Applies to
- Projects requiring site plan review, not single-family homes
- Penalty for violation
- Class C misdemeanor, up to $500 fine (22-1-6)
Summary
Any Orem site plan for commercial, industrial, or multi-family development must show on the drawings where mechanical equipment is placed and what steps will cut its noise impact, per City Code Section 22-14-20(E). Development Services reviews this before any building permit is issued.
Footprints of existing and proposed buildings and structures to include a notation of each building's main finish floor height above grade, and the location of mechanical equipment and mitigation measures proposed to reduce noise impacts for such mechanical equipment.
Full Breakdown
Orem's Zoning Ordinance folds HVAC and other mechanical-equipment noise control into the site plan review process rather than a stand-alone decibel code. " This applies to any project that must go through site plan review under Section 22-14-20, which the Chapter requires for commercial, industrial, institutional, multi-family, and conditional-use development; single-family detached homes on individually platted lots are not subject to site plan review. A developer's engineer or architect must identify on the plan where condensers, rooftop units, generators, and similar equipment sit and describe how their noise will be contained, whether through setback distance, screening walls, parapets, or placement away from adjoining residential lots.
The Department of Development Services reviews the drawings for completeness before forwarding the application to the Development Review Committee, and an incomplete showing can hold up approval. " Because the ordinance sets a documentation duty rather than a numeric noise ceiling, Orem does not publish a decibel limit for HVAC units; the City instead holds a developer to whatever mitigation it committed to show on the approved plan.
Violations & Fines
Skipping the mechanical equipment and noise-mitigation notation on a site plan is grounds for Development Services to reject the drawings as incomplete before the application reaches the Development Review Committee. If a project is built or altered without following its approved noise mitigation showing, Section 22-14-20 treats that as a Chapter violation, exposing the owner to the City's general zoning penalty under Section 22-1-6: a Class C misdemeanor, up to a $500 fine ($1,000 for a corporation), and up to three months in jail, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Orem set a decibel limit for HVAC units?
Who reviews the noise mitigation shown on my site plan?
Does this apply to a homeowner replacing a backyard AC unit?
What happens if a project ignores its approved mitigation plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orem
Compare Orem to another location·View the Utah noise from specific sources overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
HVAC & Mechanical Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle hvac & mechanical noise.