Flagstaff, AZ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Flagstaff City Code § 6-08-001-0004 sets fixed decibel ceilings for every motor vehicle operated within the City of Flagstaff, measured from outside the traffic lane the vehicle occupies. The dividing line is the posted speed limit on the street where the vehicle is measured, not the vehicle's actual speed. On streets posted 35 mph or less, a car, van or other light vehicle may not exceed 82 dB(A); on faster streets the ceiling rises to 86 dB(A). Trucks and combinations rated at a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or more, plus motorcycles other than electric bicycles, are held to 88 dB(A) on slower streets and 92 dB(A) on faster ones.

The section defines A-weighting, decibel, Lmax and pure tone noise so officers apply the numbers consistently, and it requires the officer's Type I or Type II sound level meter to be calibrated to the manufacturer's specifications before use, with slow response speed used except for rapidly varying or impulse noise. Enforcement runs through a civil citation, not a criminal charge: a first violation draws only a written warning, a second within 120 days carries a $150 fee, and a third or later violation within that 120-day window carries a $250 fee, each inclusive of any state or City surcharge.

A vehicle that keeps violating is cited separately for each day the violation continues. Anyone assessed a fee may request a hearing within 10 days before a hearing officer appointed by the presiding magistrate of the Flagstaff Municipal Court; the City bears the burden of proving the violation by a preponderance of the evidence, and failing to request or attend the hearing waives the right to contest the notice. The section does not bar the State from pursuing a separate criminal charge for the same conduct.