Yuma, AZ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Evening Lmax limit
- 70 dB at residential receiving property
- Nighttime Lmax limit
- 65 dB at residential receiving property
- Evening Leq limit
- 55 dB over any 10-minute period
- Nighttime Leq limit
- 50 dB over any 10-minute period
- Criminal penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor, §133-99(A)
- Governing chapter
- City Code Chapter 133, Ord. O2010-47
Summary
Yuma caps electronically amplified sound reaching any residential 'receiving property' at 70 dB maximum (Lmax) and 55 dB continuous (Leq) during evening hours, dropping to 65 dB and 50 dB overnight, under City Code Chapter 133. A violation is a class 1 misdemeanor, and the city can also seek a civil injunction plus attorneys' fees against repeat offenders.
(A) No person shall engage in, cause, suffer, allow, facilitate or permit any activity or use of land involving the creation, playing, reproduction, or transmittal of electronically amplified sound in such a manner that, regardless of the intent of the person engaging in, causing, suffering, allowing, facilitating or permitting that activity or use of land, the sound pressure level from the electronically amplified sound experienced at any portion of a receiving property within the City of Yuma corporate limits equals or exceeds any of the limits set forth in Table 1. TABLE 1 Sound Pressure Levels (db) Measurement Type Evening Night Maximum (Lmax) 70 65 Equivalent Continuous (Leq) 55 50 (B) This chapter is violated if either of the following conditions occur: (1) The maximum sound level equals or exceeds the applicable Lmax criterion shown in Table 1. (2) The equivalent continuous sound level equals or exceeds the applicable Leq criterion shown in Table 1, at the conclusion of any continuous ten-minute period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-74: Current through May 20, 2026).
Full Breakdown
(weeknights). Under §133-02, Table 1 sets the sound-pressure ceilings that apply at any 'receiving property,' meaning land zoned and used for residential purposes exposed to noise from another property: a maximum instantaneous level (Lmax) of 70 dB evening and 65 dB night, and an equivalent continuous level (Leq), measured over any ten-minute period, of 55 dB evening and 50 dB night. The ordinance is violated if either the Lmax or the Leq threshold is met or exceeded, so a single loud burst can trigger a citation even if the average level stays lower.
The rule applies only to 'electronically amplified sound,' meaning sound produced, played or transmitted through loudspeakers, PA systems or amplification equipment; unamplified noise such as crowds or traffic is not covered. Noise from emergency vehicles, city-sponsored activities, city-permitted events, and activities preempted by federal law is exempt under §133-03. Enforcement runs on two tracks: §133-99 makes a violation a class 1 misdemeanor, and separately lets the city bring a civil action for injunctive relief against a person reasonably likely to violate again, with the losing violator liable for the city's actual attorneys' fees, expert witness fees and court costs. The ordinance traces to Ord. O2010-47, passed September 1, 2010.
Violations & Fines
A first amplified-sound violation is charged as a class 1 misdemeanor under §133-99. Separately, the city may sue in civil court for an injunction against anyone who has violated the decibel limits and is likely to do so again; a losing defendant must pay the city's actual attorneys' fees, expert witness costs and court costs. The ordinance does not let a court ban amplified sound outright, only enforce the numeric limits in Table 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel limit applies to bar or nightclub amplified sound in Yuma?
Is a single loud noise burst enough to violate Yuma's noise ordinance?
What happens if I'm cited for violating Yuma's noise chapter?
Are city events or emergency vehicles exempt from the decibel limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuma
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