Rio Rancho, NM Noise Ordinances: Industrial Noise (2026)

Rio Rancho's zone-based noise ordinance (Municipal Code 131.06) sets the most permissive limits for industrial and wholesale zones, reflecting their distance from residential uses. Per the city's Tables, industrial/wholesale limits are 75 dB(A) daytime and 70 dB(A) nighttime on the A-weighted scale, and 80 dB(C) / 75 dB(C) on the C-weighted (bass) scale. Commercial, office, and business-park zones sit lower at 65/60 dB(A), and residential at 55/50 dB(A). All readings are taken at the source-premises property line, so an industrial operation must keep noise crossing its own boundary within these caps - and, importantly, a noise source near a zone boundary is judged by the limit at the receiving property line. Daytime is 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Sun-Thu) and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Fri-Sat); the lower nighttime limits apply otherwise. A violation requires sound to exceed the limit persistently across a 10-minute window (each of ten one-minute intervals). Government-authorized and emergency activities, refuse collection, and aircraft are among the exempt categories. Enforcement is under Municipal Code 10.99: up to $500 and/or 90 days, with each day a separate offense. New Mexico has no general statewide industrial-noise decibel statute for municipalities, so Rio Rancho's ordinance is the operative standard (federal OSHA rules govern worker exposure inside facilities, a separate matter).