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

Adopted February 9, 2021 by Ordinance No. 2021-05, Section 21-627 of the Piscataway Township Code covers heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units and compressors, auxiliary power generators, swimming pool and hot tub pumps, heat pumps and similar outdoor mechanical equipment. Every unit must be muffled to satisfy both the Noise Control Act of 1971 and the New Jersey Noise Control Regulations at N.J.A.C. 7:29. New, not replacement, equipment must be set back at least 10 feet from any property line that abuts a residential zone or residential use, or 5 feet from a nonresidential line.

That equipment also needs one of three screens: evergreen plantings as tall as the unit at planting, placement entirely behind the building envelope, or fencing or another enclosure built to screen mechanical equipment. A Zoning Officer permit is required before any new outdoor mechanical equipment goes on a residential lot, and before any new or replacement equipment goes on a nonresidential lot. Auxiliary power generators in residential zones follow a separate, more lenient standard in the same section, a two-foot setback rather than ten, because the Township treats standby power differently from routine AC and pool equipment.

Homeowners apply through the Planning and Community Development Department before installation, since the permit process is how the Township confirms the setback and screening are met before the unit runs.