La Plata County, CO Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 70-21 of the La Plata County Code, Noise and Vibration, is a Land Use Code standard for the unincorporated county. Its purpose clause says it lessens off-site noise from new development, and it does not apply to any agricultural use or to construction of a single-family home. Noise is measured at the property boundary and cannot exceed state noise standards as set out in C.R.S. § 25-12-103, as amended.

Table 70-21 lists four land use types in this order: residential, commercial, light industrial and industrial. It gives one row of values for 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (55, 60, 70 and 80 db(A)) and one for 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (50, 55, 65 and 75 db(A)). Read in column order, residential is limited to 55 db(A) by day and 50 at night, commercial to 60 and 55, light industrial to 70 and 65, and industrial to 80 and 75.

The code requires development to adhere to the standards during the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Between 7:00 a.m. and the next 7:00 p.m., the permitted levels can be increased by ten (10) db(A) for a period not to exceed fifteen (15) minutes in any one hour.

Subsection III carves out exceptions. The standards do not cover noises of agricultural vehicles, farm operations, motor vehicles as preempted by state law, home appliances, chain saws in private use, occasionally used safety signals, warning signals, emergency pressure relief valves, discharge of firearms and temporary construction operations. They also do not reach any activity where state law preempts local control, including qualifying sport shooting ranges under C.R.S. § 25-12-109, or aircraft and other federally regulated activity.

The same section adds a vibration rule: every use must be operated so it does not inherently and recurrently generate a ground vibration perceptible without instruments at any boundary line of the property. The section was last amended by Res. No. 2023-11 and is effective 8/1/2023. Most of La Plata County is unzoned, and this standard applies through the Land Use Code to development in the unincorporated area, not to the cities of Durango, Bayfield or Ignacio.