Avondale, AZ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Avondale is among the Arizona cities that regulate noise by nuisance standard rather than by measured decibels. A review of Section 15-11 of the City Code shows no decibel threshold, no daytime-versus-nighttime sound-level table, and no requirement that officers use a sound-level meter. Instead, the ordinance makes it a misdemeanor to create 'any unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise within the limits of the city,' or to make noise 'of such character, intensity or duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual or in disturbance of the public peace.' The enumerated examples in Section 15-11(c), such as loud radios and instruments, animal noise, and unmuffled exhaust, are likewise framed around whether the sound disturbs the comfort or repose of people in the vicinity. This means a complaint is evaluated on the perceived disturbance and reasonableness rather than on whether a specific dBA figure was exceeded. Residents looking for a hard number will not find one in Avondale's code; the practical test is whether a reasonable person would find the noise unreasonably loud and disturbing.