Valencia County, NM Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

21(E)(1), is 'Construction Noise,' defined as all necessary and reasonable noise associated with construction between the hours of 7 AM and 10 PM. That time window is the entire scope of the exemption: the ordinance does not exempt construction noise generally, only construction noise that occurs within those fifteen hours. 21(D)'s ordinary non-vehicular limits instead, which cap intrusive noise at 80 dB(A) (or 10 dB(A) above ambient) in residential and commercial zones during the day and 70 dB(A) (or 10 dB(A) above ambient) at night, both measured at the property line.

21(E), emergency noise, warning-device noise, public works construction and maintenance of highways, roads and irrigation canals, county-authorized recreational activity, and property maintenance equipment, run on their own terms and don't extend the construction window. 21(B)(1): the A-weighted sound level meter standard, with ambient and intrusive levels both recorded at the property line for a non-vehicular source. The county administers this section chapter-wide through Code Enforcement, so a homeowner objecting to early or late construction work reports it the same way as any other Chapter 92 noise complaint.