Industrial noise in Nashua is regulated through Chapter 201 (Noise) - the disturbance / 50-foot audibility standard - layered with Chapter 190 (Land Use Code) industrial-performance standards and the Chapter 128 residential-zone construction-equipment quiet window (8 p.m. - 7 a.m. weekdays; no Sunday/holiday). NH RSA 644:2 disorderly conduct is the statewide backstop. New Hampshire has no statewide environmental noise dB code (unlike WAC 173-60). Active industrial concentrations include the Sundial Avenue and Crown Street industrial parks, the Daniel Webster Highway south light-industrial corridor, the Amherst Street rail-served sites, and the former mill complexes along the Nashua River (many now in adaptive-reuse mixed-use redevelopment).
Nashua's industrial base has shifted from the historic 19th-century Nashua Manufacturing Company textile mill complex (along the Nashua River and Canal Street) into a diversified mix of advanced manufacturing, defense contracting (BAE Systems Nashua campus on Spit Brook Road), printed-circuit-board and electronics fabrication, food processing, and warehousing / distribution. Industrial-noise enforcement layers three frameworks: (1) Chapter 201 (Noise) general standard - using or operating any electronic sound-reproduction device in a manner that disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of inhabitants of neighboring premises is a violation; the 50-foot prima facie rule applies to electronic devices but the broader Chapter 201 reasonableness standard reaches industrial equipment noise. Violations are fines not less than $100 per Chapter 201. (2) Chapter 190 (Land Use Code) industrial-zone performance standards - Article III base-district regulations and Article VI supplemental use regulations require that all noises, vibrations, emissions of smoke, dust, or gases at industrial-zoned uses be controlled so as not to be detrimental or cause a nuisance to nearby residential or commercial areas, in conformance with the industrial performance standards of Chapter 190. Site-plan review (Part 5 of Chapter 190) typically conditions specific noise mitigation - buffer yards, screening berms, equipment enclosures, and operating-hour limits - at the boundary with residential zones. (3) Chapter 128 (Construction and Demolition Work) restricts construction-equipment operation in residential zones or within 600 feet of any dwelling between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sun-Fri, between 7:00 p.m. Saturday and 8:00 a.m. Sunday, and all day Sundays and holidays - this reaches industrial-equipment operation conducted as construction. (4) NH RSA 644:2 (disorderly conduct) is the statewide backstop. Nashua does not adopt a numeric dBA matrix for industrial-source noise; unlike Washington's WAC 173-60, New Hampshire has no statewide environmental-noise dB framework. The Pan Am Railways / CSX rail corridor that runs through the former Nashua passenger station along East Hollis Street and along the Nashua River is federally preempted under the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (49 U.S.C. 10501(b)) - the city cannot cite rail operations for noise. The F.E. Everett Turnpike / U.S. Route 3 freeway corridor through Nashua is administered by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation under federal noise-abatement criteria (23 CFR 772). The Pheasant Lane Mall complex on the Massachusetts border (the largest retail center in southern New Hampshire, drawing heavy traffic and delivery activity 7 days a week) imposes commercial-traffic noise loads on the Spit Brook Road / Daniel Webster Highway corridor that are governed by Chapter 201 plus NH RSA 266:59 motor-vehicle equipment law. NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) regulates air emissions but not noise.
Industrial noise that disturbs neighbors' peace, quiet and comfort is a Chapter 201 (Noise) violation - fine not less than $100, written cease/abate order, each day a separate offense. Violations of Chapter 190 industrial-performance standards (or site-plan noise conditions) are zoning violations enforceable by the Code Enforcement Department and Zoning Administrator. Construction-equipment operation in residential zones or within 600 feet of any dwelling outside permitted Chapter 128 hours is a Chapter 128 violation (same $100 minimum penalty). NH RSA 644:2 (disorderly conduct, statewide) is a violation up to $1,000; Class B misdemeanor up to 1 year if continued after desist order. Rail operations are federally preempted (49 U.S.C. 10501(b)). Federal highway noise is administered under 23 CFR 772.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Nashua, NH
The Nashua Revised Ordinances do not contain a code provision specifically prohibiting or permitting artificial turf in residential or commercial landscapes....
Nashua, NH
Nashua does not mandate native plants in private landscapes. Chapter 190 Article XXVII Landscaping requires that all shade trees in required landscape materi...
Nashua, NH
Nashua collects trash weekly and recycling every other week on the same day. Check the city's Trash & Recycling Schedule for your day. When a holiday falls o...
Nashua, NH
Nashua food trucks operate under Chapter 231 (Peddling, Soliciting and Vending). No person may act as a vendor in the City unless licensed by the City Clerk....
Nashua, NH
Operating a food truck in Nashua requires three city authorizations: (1) a Mobile Food Service License from the Nashua Environmental Health Department; (2) a...
Nashua, NH
Federal law (FAA Part 107 and 49 U.S.C. § 44809) governs U.S. airspace and preempts local altitude/flight-path regulation. Nashua sits inside Class D control...
See how Nashua's industrial noise rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.