Union City sets relative, not fixed, decibel limits: noise may not exceed the local ambient by 10 dBA on residential, 12 dBA on commercial/industrial, or 15 dBA on public property, with the ambient never treated as below 40 dBA.
Chapter 9.40 measures noise against the 'local ambient,' the lowest sound level repeating over a six-minute period using a slow-response, A-weighted meter, and never deemed below 40 dBA (UCMC 9.40.030(D)). The caps are: residential property, ambient +10 dBA at the property plane (9.40.041); commercial or industrial, ambient +12 dBA at the property line (9.40.042); and public property, ambient +15 dBA measured at 25 feet or more (9.40.043). Daytime sources under 70 dBA at 25 feet are exempt during set hours (9.40.050), and construction has its own 83/86 dBA caps (9.40.053). Measurements follow A-weighting at slow response, mic 3-5 feet up and 4 feet from reflective surfaces (9.40.080-9.40.081).
Exceeding any limit is an infraction under UCMC 9.40.121, each 24-hour day a separate offense; a disturbance may also be abated as a public nuisance under 9.40.122.
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