Taylorsville, UT Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Chapter 13.23's industrial and research park performance standards regulate noise the way they regulate smoke, odor, glare and vibration: by a measured limit at the property line rather than a flat ban. Section 13.23.250(B) requires that noise, vibration, odor and glare readings be taken at the lot line of the industrial establishment, and § 13.23.250(B)(1)(a) sets the noise rule itself: a stationary source can't push the one-hour equivalent sound level (Leq) more than six dBA above the Leq that would be expected from ordinary ground transportation at that location and time of day, calculated under the FHWA-RD-77-108 highway noise model or an equally accurate method.

Measuring equipment must meet ANSI S1.4-1971 type 1 standards and the measurement procedure must follow ANSI S1.13-1977. Two adjustments can raise the effective limit at the meter: five dBA is added if the sound has a pronounced tonal quality, like a whine or hum, or a cyclic beating pattern, and ten dBA is added instead if the sound is a repetitive impulse read on the meter's slow-response setting; only one adjustment applies at a time, with the tonal adjustment controlling if both could apply. Separately, impulsive sound, a single bang rather than a steady tone, is capped outright at eighty dBA or at the Leq-plus-traffic standard, whichever governs.

Enforcement runs through the performance standards review process in § 13.23.250(A): the director investigates a suspected violation, can require expert testing at the violator's expense, and must order the plant to correct the problem within a set time or shut down; the mayor can order an immediate shutdown if the violation threatens public health, safety or welfare.