Torrance Municipal Code Art. 7 General Noise Regulations

46.7.1 GENERAL NOISE REGULATIONS.¶

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter and in addition thereto, it shall be unlawful for any person to willfully make or continue, or cause to be made or continued, any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise which disturbs the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area.

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46.7.2 NOISE LIMITS.¶

To provide for methodical enforcement and to give reasonable notice of the performance standards to be met, the foregoing intent is expressed in the following numerical standards. For purposes of this Chapter, the City is divided into regions as set forth in Exhibit A.

a) Noise Limits on Residential Land. It shall be unlawful for any person within the City of Torrance (wherever located) to produce noise in excess of the following levels as received on residential land owned or occupied by another person within the designated regions. In addition to the noise limits stated herein, the noise limits set forth in Sec. 46.7.2.b) shall also be complied with.

For noise receivers located on residential land, for measurement positions five hundred (500) feet or more distant from the boundaries of Regions 1 and 2, the following limits apply:

REGION (in which noise receiver is located)	NOISE LEVEL, db	NOISE LEVEL, db
REGION (in which noise receiver is located)	Day	Night
3	50	45
4	55	50

For noise receivers located on residential land, for positions within five hundred (500) feet from the boundary of Region 1 or 2, the following limits apply:

Five (5) dB above the limits set forth in Section 46.7.2.a) 1 above, or 5 dB above the ambient noise level, whichever is the lower number.

b) Noise Limits at Industrial and Commercial Boundaries:

Noise Sources in Region 1: It shall be unlawful for any person in Region 1 to produce noise levels at the boundary of Region 1 in excess of 70 dB during the day or 65 dB during the night.
Noise Sources in Region 2: It shall be unlawful for any person in Region 2 to produce noise levels at the boundary of Region 2 in excess of 60 dB during the day or 55 dB during the night.
Noise Sources in All Remaining Industrial Use Land: It shall be unlawful for any person on industrial use land outside Region 1 and 2 to produce noise levels at his own property boundary in excess of 60 dB during the day or 55 dB during the night.
Noise Sources on All Land Use for Commercial Purposes: It shall be unlawful for any person on land used for commercial purposes to produce noise levels at his own property boundary in excess of 60 dB during the day or 55 dB during the night.

In addition to the noise limits set forth herein (Sec. 46.7.2.b), the noise limits set forth in Sec. 46.7.2.(a) shall also be complied with.

c) Corrections to the Noise Limits: The numerical limits given in Sec. 46.7.2.(a) and (b) shall be adjusted by addition of the following corrections where appropriate.

Noise Conditions	Noise Conditions	Noise Conditions	Correction to the Limits, decibels
1.	Noise contains a steady, audible tone, such as a whine, screech or hum	Noise contains a steady, audible tone, such as a whine, screech or hum	-5
2.	Noise is a repetitive impulsive noise, such as hammering or riveting	Noise is a repetitive impulsive noise, such as hammering or riveting	-5
3.	If the noise is not continuous, one of the following corrections to the limits shall be applied:	If the noise is not continuous, one of the following corrections to the limits shall be applied:
	a)	Noise occurs less than 5 hours per day or less than 1 hour per night	+5
	b)	Noise occurs less than 90 minutes per day or less than 20 minutes per night	+10
	c)	Noise occurs less than 30 minutes per day or less than 6 minutes per night	+15
4.	Noise occurs on Sunday morning (between 12:01 A.M. and 12:01 P.M. Sunday)	Noise occurs on Sunday morning (between 12:01 A.M. and 12:01 P.M. Sunday)	-5

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46.7.3 EXCEPTIONS.¶

(Amended by O-3914)

The following noise sources are specifically excluded from the provisions of this Chapter:

Aircraft in flight.
Motor vehicles operating in accordance with Sec. 46.4.2. and in accordance with all the sections of the California Motor Vehicles Code.
Stationary Generator for Residential Use, as defined in accordance with Section 46.1.2(n); and installed and used during emergencies or utility power outages, as defined in accordance with Section 46.1.2(c); or for routine testing and maintenance, as defined in accordance with Section 46.1.2(k).

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