Chandler, AZ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- ANO-1 noise reduction
- 15 decibels NLR, 45 dB interior max
- ANO-2 noise reduction
- 25 decibels NLR, 45 dB interior max
- ANO-3 interior cap
- 45 decibels, construction method unrestricted
- Clear Zone Overlay
- No structures permitted at all
- Enforcing office
- Zoning Administrator (City Planner)
- Governing sections
- Chandler City Code §§ 35-3001, 35-3002
Summary
Chandler's Airport Impact Overlay District splits land near Chandler Municipal Airport and Stellar Airpark into three noise zones, ANO-1 (55-60 Ldn), ANO-2 (60-70 Ldn) and ANO-3 (70+ Ldn), plus a Clear Zone. Depending on zone, new buildings must cut incoming aircraft noise by 15 or 25 decibels so interior noise stays at or below 45 decibels.
(1) Airport Noise Overlay-One (ANO-1): The area between the post-2005 fifty-five (55) Ldn and sixty (60) Ldn noise contour lines... (2) ANO-2: ...sixty (60) Ldn and seventy (70) Ldn... (3) ANO-3: ...seventy (70) Ldn and greater... 2 The land use or activity is permitted; however, a noise level reduction (NLR) of fifteen (15) decibels must be incorporated into the design and construction of those buildings where people live, work, or are otherwise received, in order to achieve a maximum interior noise level of forty-five (45) decibels. 3 ...a noise level reduction (NLR) of twenty-five (25) decibels must be incorporated... 4 The land use or activity is permitted when the level of noise does not exceed forty-five (45) decibels within the principally permitted structure unless forty-five (45) decibels is exceeded by self-generated noise. 6 Structures are not permitted in the clear zone.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79).
Full Breakdown
Chandler Zoning Code § 35-3001 draws the Airport Impact Overlay District around Chandler Municipal Airport (Sections 1, 2, 3, 10-15, Township 2 South, Range 5 East) and Stellar Airpark (Sections 25, 26, 27, 34-36, Township 1 South, Range 4 East). Within that overlay, the Code lays out three noise rings measured in day-night average sound level (Ldn): ANO-1 sits between the 55 and 60 Ldn contour, ANO-2 between 60 and 70 Ldn, and ANO-3 covers everything above 70 Ldn, plus a separate Clear Zone Overlay (CZO) at runway ends.
Section 35-3002's noise attenuation matrix then assigns a numeric restriction code to every land use permitted in the underlying zoning district. Code 2 requires a 15-decibel noise level reduction (NLR) built into residential and other occupied structures in ANO-1 so interior noise tops out at 45 decibels; Code 3 raises that to a 25-decibel NLR in the more heavily affected ANO-2 areas, holding the same 45-decibel interior ceiling; Code 4, applied in ANO-3, simply caps interior noise at 45 decibels regardless of construction method, unless that level is exceeded by noise the building's own occupants generate.
Certain uses are barred outright rather than merely insulated: Code 5 forbids uses emitting air pollutants that obscure vision or create explosion hazards, Code 6 bars any structure inside the clear zone, and Code 7 prohibits aboveground transmission lines in ANO-3. The Code 8 note for the CZO still allows parking, stormwater retention, landscaping and required yard setbacks, but no landscaping element may penetrate the clear-zone approach slope. A lot straddling an overlay boundary must build to whichever zone's standards are more restrictive. These are design-and-construction standards enforced at building permit review, not a noise curfew.
Violations & Fines
Building without the required NLR, or exceeding the 45-decibel interior ceiling for the applicable zone, is a Zoning Code violation prosecuted under § 35-2300, which lets the City sue to prevent unlawful construction, restrain or abate the violation, and prevent occupancy or continued use of the building until it complies. The Zoning Administrator, who is also the City Planner, enforces these overlay standards citywide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chandler limit noise from an airport overlay zone in decibels?
Can I build a house inside the Clear Zone Overlay near Chandler Municipal Airport?
Who enforces the airport overlay noise standards in Chandler?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chandler
Compare Chandler to another location·View the Arizona noise ordinances overview
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