Pawtucket, RI Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential base
- 50 dBA, RL/RS/RT/PC, 10pm-7am
- Manufacturing-office base
- 75 dBA, MO zone, anytime
- Machinery/AC limit
- 5 dB over ambient base (§286-11)
- Amplified sound at events
- cap of 15 dB over base (§286-15)
- Measurement
- A-weighted sound level meter (§286-3)
- Fine
- up to $100 per offense (§286-19)
Summary
Pawtucket fixes numeric ambient base noise levels by zone and time under City Code § 286-4, ranging from 50 dBA overnight in residential zones to 75 dBA anytime in manufacturing-office zones. Section 286-11 then bars machinery, pumps, fans and air conditioners from pushing the property-line noise level more than five decibels above that base.
Where the ambient noise level is less than designated in this section the respective noise level in this section shall be the ambient base level for the purpose of this chapter: ... RL, RS, RT and PC 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. 50; RL, RS, RT and PC 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 55; RL, RS, RT and PC 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 60; RM, RE, PO and CL 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. 55; RM, RE, PO and CL 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 60; CG and CD 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. 60; CG and CD 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 65; MB Anytime 70; MO Anytime 75. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to ... operate any machinery, equipment, pump, fan, air-conditioning apparatus or similar mechanical device in any manner so as to create any noise which would cause the noise level at the property line of any property to exceed the ambient base noise level by more than five decibels.
Full Breakdown
Section 286-4, last amended by Ordinance No. 2863 in 2007, sets the ambient base noise level that the rest of Chapter 286 measures against whenever the real ambient level in an area is lower than the table's figures. m. In the RM, RE, PO and CL zones, mixed residential, public open and commercial-local areas, the base is 55 dBA overnight and 60 dBA during the day. In the CG and CD general and downtown commercial zones it runs 60 dBA overnight and 65 dBA by day.
The MB and MO zones, manufacturing-business and manufacturing-office, carry flat around-the-clock bases of 70 and 75 dBA. Every level is measured with A-weighting on a sound level meter per § 286-3. Section 286-11 turns that table into an enforceable limit for a specific noise source: machinery, equipment, pumps, fans and air-conditioning apparatus may not push the noise level at a property line more than five decibels above the ambient base level fixed for that zone and time, though the section carves out an exception for snow removal equipment used during a declared parking ban.
The same five-decibel-over-base formula appears again in § 286-6D for stereos and other noisemakers, and in § 286-15F(4) for amplified sound at events, which caps at 15 decibels above the ambient base rather than five.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 286's general penalty in § 286-19 fines any violation, including exceeding the § 286-11 machinery limit, up to $100 for any one offense. The Police Division and the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement share enforcement under § 286-18, and officers trained under § 286-17 use calibrated sound level meters to measure the property-line reading against the § 286-4 table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the legal noise limit at night in a Pawtucket residential zone?
Are commercial and manufacturing zones held to the same noise limit?
Can my air conditioner or pool pump violate Pawtucket's noise code?
How is ambient noise actually measured in Pawtucket?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pawtucket
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Decibel Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle decibel limits.