Compton, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

6(b) creates a "prima facie violation" standard: once a sound level exceeds the ambient noise level at the property line of any property, or within any adjoining unit of a condominium or apartment building, by more than five decibels, that reading alone is deemed evidence of a violation without further proof of disturbance. 3 requires every measurement under the noise article to be taken with a sound level meter using the "A" weighting network, the same standard referenced in the American National Standards Institute's Acoustical Terminology S1-1-1971.

2 defines "ambient noise level" as the all-encompassing background sound of a given environment, averaged over 15 minutes and excluding isolated identifiable sources, measured at the same location and time of day being compared; Sec. 4 separately allows the City to use a presumed ambient level from a published zone-and-time chart when an actual on-site ambient reading is not available, covering R1/R2 and R3/R4 residential zones, commercial zones, and M1/M2 industrial zones across daytime and nighttime hours. The five-decibel-over-ambient rule in Sec. 6(b) is written specifically for radios, televisions, and similar sound-reproducing devices; the separate machinery and air-conditioning noise standard in Sec.

11 uses the identical five-decibel-over-ambient formula but applies it to mechanical equipment rather than entertainment devices. Any violation carries the misdemeanor penalty set out in Sec. 5, backed by the City's option to pursue a civil injunction against a location that keeps exceeding the threshold.