Peoria, AZ Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Sec. 13-97 lists the uses exempt from the noise prohibitions found in Sections 13-90 through 13-94, which is Peoria's core noise chapter covering general disturbing noise, sound amplifying equipment, and related restrictions. ' In practice this means a homeowner's or business's HVAC condenser, heat pump, or furnace blower is not subject to the 55 dBA sound-amplifying-equipment limit in Sec. 13-94 or the general disturbing-noise standards elsewhere in the chapter, as long as the unit is running the way the manufacturer designed it to run. The same section also exempts landscape maintenance equipment operated with mufflers and noise-reducing equipment in use, placing HVAC in the same protected category as routine yard work rather than treating it like a stereo or party noise source.

The exemption is conditional, not absolute: equipment that is malfunctioning, missing manufacturer-specified noise controls, or operating far outside its rated specifications falls back out of the exemption and can be evaluated under the general noise provisions. Peoria enacted this exemption scheme through Ordinance No. 06-32 on September 5, 2006, alongside the rest of Chapter 13's noise regulations, and the Community Development Department administers the related noise-sensitive-area provisions in the same chapter.