Amherst, NY Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 138-5P is the catch-all for any stationary noise source not already listed as a violation in § 138-5's items A through O: it bars operating a stationary source that exceeds the limits in Table I, measured at the property boundary. Table I sets the maximum permissible sound level in dBA by pairing the source's land-use category with the receiving property's land-use category across two time periods. m. When the source is on nonresidential land, the daytime limits are the same 70/75 dBA split, but the night-time limit only drops to 50 dBA for a residential receiving property; a nonresidential property receiving noise from another nonresidential source keeps a 75 dBA ceiling around the clock.

Enforcement requires instrumentation: § 138-7A directs the enforcement officer to use an ANSI Type II sound-level meter, calibrated at least annually, operated by Town personnel approved by the Chief of Police, with a wind-velocity gauge checked periodically for accuracy. Table I does not apply to alarms defined in § 138-5H, which are governed instead by their own ten-minute duration rule. The Amherst Police Department enforces § 138-5P under § 138-7B, and a proven violation is punished under § 138-8.