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Noise / Proximity to Military Airport

Within the state of Arizona, builders and developers whose projects are deemed to be territory in the vicinity of a military airport are obligated to comply with state-mandated, local sound-attenuation ordinances that require the builder / developer to incorporate within the design and construction of residential buildings certain noise level reduction features. These features are designed to assure that a maximum interior noise level of 45 decibels will be attained within the residence.The required features necessarily include, among others,a minimum of R-18 exterior wall assembly, dual pane windows, and a minimum of R-30 roof and ceiling assembly. Alternatively, if the builder / developer should elect not to comply with the state- mandated, municipal / county ordinances, the builder / developer may retain a registered architect or engineer to certify that a maximum interior noise level of 45 decibels had been attained at the time of final construction.

The failure to design and install a proper wall assembly that manifests a thermal resistance rating capacity of R-18 or better (some cities like Surprise have more stringent standards) is the most frequently observed acoustical problem. The home purchaser whose wall assembly falls below the R-18 standard has not received what the homeowner paid for and is entitled by law to receive.

Certain municipalities (or portions thereof) that are in the vicinity of Luke Air Force Base are Surprise, Goodyear, El Mirage, Buckeye, Litchfield Park, Avondale and Youngtown. (Note also that there are particular unincorporated sections of Maricopa County that also fall within the statutorily designated boundaries of territory deemed to be in the vicinity of Luke AFB.) Certain portions of the City of Tucson are within the vicinity of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. New residences constructed in either of these jurisdictions are subject to the noise attenuation standards as promulgated both by specific municipal (or county) ordinances and by Arizona state statutes (A.R.S. Sections 28-8461(20 (a) and 20 (b)) (defining precisely the boundaries of territory in the vicinity of Luke AFB and Davis-Monthan AFB, respectively) and Section 28-8482 (B)(imposing upon state of Arizona political subdivisions having territory in the vicinityof a military airport the obligation to adopt building code ordinances reflecting, at a minimum, the state-imposed acoustical standards for new residential construction)).