Sahuarita, AZ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

020(A) of the Sahuarita Town Code sets performance standards that apply to every use in the I-2 General Industrial Zone, and its noise standard works by octave band rather than a single blanket decibel number. At no point on the boundary of property zoned other than I-2 can the sound pressure level of an individual operation or plant, excluding motor vehicles or other transportation facilities, exceed the decibel level set for that frequency band. The table runs from 72 decibels for the 0 to 75 cycles-per-second band, down through 67 decibels for 76 to 150, 59 decibels for 151 to 300, 52 decibels for 301 to 600, 46 decibels for 601 to 1,200, 40 decibels for 1,201 to 2,400, 34 decibels for 2,401 to 4,800, and 32 decibels for anything above 4,800 cycles per second.

Measurements must be taken with a sound level meter and octave band filter built to American Standards Association specifications, using the meter's flat network setting. Impulsive noises are measured against the same table if they can be accurately captured by the equipment, meaning the meter needle swings no more than plus or minus two decibels; noises too irregular or intermittent to measure that way are instead controlled so they do not become a nuisance to adjacent uses. 020(B) requires certification that the use complies with these standards.