Union, NY Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Article 50 of the zoning chapter holds two sections and one table. Section 300-50.1 sets the rule: the maximum decibel level radiated by any use or facility at any lot lines shall not exceed the values in the designated octave bands given in Table 50-1. The sound-pressure level is measured with a sound-level meter and associated octave-band analyzer conforming to standards prescribed by the American Standards Association, and the section names the 1944 sound-level meter standard (Z24.3) and the 1953 octave-band filter set standard (Z24.10) to be used.

Table 50-1 gives maximum permitted sound-pressure levels in decibels for eight bands measured in cycles per second: 69 for 0 to 75, 60 for 75 to 150, 56 for 150 to 300, 51 for 300 to 600, 42 for 600 to 1,200, 40 for 1,200 to 2,400, 38 for 2,400 to 4,800, and 35 for 4,800 to 10,000. The allowance falls as the frequency rises, so a higher-pitched sound has to be quieter than a low rumble to comply.

The zone adjustment is in § 300-50.2. Where any use adjoins a residential or mixed use district at any point at the district boundary, the maximum permitted decibel levels in all octave bands shall be reduced by six decibels from the maximum levels set forth in Table 50-1. The article prints one table and one boundary reduction. It prints no separate daytime and nighttime values.

Other zoning standards touch noise without numbers. A kennel and its operation cannot create nuisance conditions for adjoining properties due to noise or odor, under § 300-40.11(A), and a home occupation cannot produce offensive noise, under § 300-40.9(E). Park rules in Chapter 148 separately bar making unreasonable noise with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm.