Waco, TX Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Sec. 16-207 lists the affirmative defenses available against a noise-nuisance charge under Chapter 16, Article VII, and paragraph (9) is written specifically for air conditioning equipment. It shields the operation of any air conditioning unit that does not produce a sound exceeding 65 dB(A) on residential property or 75 dB(A) on nonresidential property, when measured at or near 15 feet from the unit producing the sound. That is a distinct, more permissive threshold than the general limits in Sec. 16-202, which cap ordinary sound sources at 85 dB(A) in daytime and 80 dB(A) at night on residential property, and 85 dB(A) around the clock on nonresidential property, measured at the property line where the sound is received rather than 15 feet from the source.

Because Sec. 16-207's defenses apply against "any offense established in this chapter," an AC unit that stays within the 65/75 dB(A) envelope cannot be cited as a sound nuisance under Sec. 16-203's general prohibition even if a neighbor complains, while a unit that exceeds those levels loses the defense and is measured for enforcement purposes under the Sec. 4-1984/85A standards, calibrated immediately before and after each sampling, with the microphone positioned to avoid unnatural enhancement or diminution and fitted with a windscreen.