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

324(C)(3), part of the Additional Development Regulations that apply to any industrial parcel (IG, IL, IP or IT District) within 200 feet of the edge of a Residential District. The rule requires that HVAC units, along with generators and garbage facilities, be located and/or structurally screened, or enclosed, to minimize impacts on adjacent residents. Before the City issues a building permit or electrical permit for installing the equipment, the Zoning Enforcement Official may require the applicant to submit a noise study prepared by an acoustical engineer and can impose conditions, such as relocating the unit, adding an acoustic enclosure, or installing a sound-attenuating screen wall, to bring the projected noise down to an acceptable level.

The 200-foot trigger does not apply if the industrial parcel is separated from the Residential District by an active mainline railroad right-of-way or Interstate 880, so a warehouse across I-880 from housing is not automatically subject to the extra screening. 224, or a landscaped strip of evergreen trees spaced no more than 20 feet apart, sized to screen the site (including its HVAC equipment) within five years of planting. 328 Screening of Mechanical Equipment, which applies citywide, so an HVAC unit outside the 200-foot band still needs visual screening even where the added noise study is not required.