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

Section 9.12.060(B)(3) of the Paramount Municipal Code names air conditioning units, refrigeration equipment, fans, blowers, pumps, engines, turbines, compressors, generators, saws, grinders, motors and other similar devices as noise sources. The code does not set a separate decibel figure for a condenser or a rooftop unit. Instead the equipment is held to the property's noise zone under Section 9.12.040: from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. the maximum is 62 decibels in R1 and R2 zones, 67 in R3 and R4 zones and 82 in Industrial and Commercial zones, and from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. it drops to 57, 62 and 77.

Under Section 9.12.050 the operator measures on residential property adjoining the suspect property, about 10 feet from any building, wall or obstruction, or on a property line when nothing stands within 10 feet. The meter sits on the A weighted network at slow response with the microphone about four feet above the ground, and readings are logged at 15-second intervals for 15 minutes with the source running. Ambient noise is logged first with the source off. The one carve-out is emergency machinery: any mechanical device used with emergency work, machinery or vehicle operation is exempt from the chapter, and the code defines emergency work to include work by private or public utilities restoring utility service.

Section 9.12.080(C) adds a procedural step that applies to this category: before a misdemeanor complaint is issued for a violation of Section 9.12.060(B)(3), the alleged violator gets a written notice of intention to prosecute at least three calendar days ahead, and no complaint is issued if the condition is removed, abated or fully corrected within that period. If the violator cannot be found, mailing the notice by registered or certified mail to the last known address or the place of the violation counts as service.