Buena Park, CA Noise Ordinances: Industrial Noise (2026)

Industrial and commercial noise in the City of Buena Park is regulated through a mix of property-line decibel standards and a 'not disturbing' performance standard. The city's 2035 General Plan Noise Element explains that the adopted Orange County standards (via Municipal Code Section 8.28.010) set exterior and interior decibel limits only for residential property; the county code 'does not set noise level limits for other land uses, such as commercial or industrial uses.' What protects neighbors from industrial sources is therefore the property-line standard measured on the receiving (often residential) property - a stationary commercial or industrial source may not cause the noise level on a nearby residential property to exceed 55 dBA daytime / 50 dBA nighttime (reduced 5 dBA for tonal or impact noise). In addition, the General Plan notes that in all commercial and industrial zones, public address systems, loudspeakers and other sound-producing equipment must be designed, installed and operated in a manner which is not disturbing to the surrounding area. Section 8.28.040's general prohibition on loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise also reaches industrial sources such as exhaust, machinery and amplified sound. New development that could generate or be exposed to excessive noise is reviewed under the General Plan and zoning code, including interior-noise mitigation (e.g., reducing interior levels to 45 dBA CNEL for noise-sensitive uses). These are the city's rules, applicable inside Buena Park's limits.