Doña Ana County, NM Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Doña Ana County's numeric noise ceiling appears in § 261-11(C) of the Noise Control Ordinance, adopted in 2012. on weekends and holidays, no one may make or allow sound that exceeds 50 decibels on residential or other noise-sensitive property, 60 decibels on office or commercial property, or 70 decibels on industrial property, with the limit measured on the property that receives the sound rather than at its source. When sound crosses from a louder-zoned property onto a quieter-zoned neighbor, such as an industrial lot next to a residential subdivision, the lower limit of the receiving property governs, so a factory cannot rely on its own 70 dB allowance if the sound lands on a home measured at 50 dB.

Measurements are taken under § 261-10 with an approved sound-level meter using the A-weighting network, referenced to a standard 20-micropascal pressure baseline, so citations rest on a calibrated reading rather than an officer's impression. The table sets the enforceable ceiling only for nighttime; the article separately bans any 'unreasonably loud or unusual noise' at nighttime under § 261-11(A) regardless of whether it crosses the decibel table, and daytime noise is addressed through the article's other specific-noise sections rather than a numeric daytime table. Agricultural, ranching and military noise sources are exempt from the entire article, decibel table included, under § 261-11(D).