Tustin, CA Noise Ordinances: Industrial Noise (2026)

Tustin's code defines a 'fixed noise source' (Section 4612(9)) as stationary equipment such as industrial and commercial machinery, pumps, fans, compressors, generators, air conditioners and refrigeration equipment. Section 4614 sets the industrial zone (Zone 3) exterior limit at 70 dB(A) any time, the highest in the city, while commercial (Zone 2) is 60 dB(A) and mixed-use (Zone 5) is 60 dB(A). Critically, the limit that applies is the standard of the receiving property where the noise is measured, so an industrial operation whose noise crosses into an adjacent residential parcel must keep that noise within the residential 55/50 dB(A) ceiling, not the 70 dB(A) industrial figure. Simple-tone noise (a predominant frequency, common with motors and fans) triggers the 5 dB(A) reduction. The graduated durations in Section 4614(b) apply, and air-conditioning/refrigeration units installed before Ordinance 828 received a one-year +8 dB(A) allowance under Section 4619. In the redeveloping Tustin Legacy area, where industrial, commercial and residential uses adjoin, the mixed-use Zone 5 limit of 60 dB(A) often governs at the interface. Measurement follows Section 4620.