The answer on the island
A dockside gyro test that loads a generator is noise the Town of Palm Beach measures as nonvehicular sound. Ordinance 008-2022 amended Section 42-228 so Area 4 matches Areas 1 and 3: 61 dBA from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 55 dBA from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Area 2, Wells Road south to Worth Avenue, remains 64 dBA by day and 58 dBA at night. The meter is at the property line under Section 42-226. The test that would be a normal evening spin-up in a commercial yard can be a violation at a residential seawall.
- Know which area the dock sits in before you start the generator.
- Night is 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., not “after dinner.”
- This table is not Broward’s spill BMP and not West Palm Beach’s code.
The rule on this dock
Ordinance 008-2022, accessed 8 October 2026, is the council’s amendment of Section 42-228. The town’s own generator information sheet reprints Sections 42-226 through 42-228, including the four geographic areas and the A-scale method. Chapter 42 is the codified environment chapter. Section 42-229 sends vehicle noise to Florida Statutes § 316.293. A yacht generator is not a motor vehicle. Lawn equipment is the exception inside 42-228, and a stabilizer load test is not lawn equipment.
Section 42-197 also flags unmuffled internal-combustion engines as a specific prohibited act unless the engine is muffled. A generator enclosure that the manufacturer rated in a shop is not a measurement at this property line. The ordinance does not publish a stabilizer model list. It publishes decibels.
| Area | Streets | Day dBA | Night dBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North town line to Wells Road | 61 | 55 |
| 2 | Wells Road to Worth Avenue | 64 | 58 |
| 3 | Worth Avenue to Sloan’s Curve | 61 | 55 |
| 4 | Sloan’s Curve to the south town line | 61 | 55 |
If you skip the clock
Run the spin-up at 8:00 p.m. because the owner is aboard, and you are inside the night window with the lower number. On Areas 1, 3, and 4 that number is 55 dBA at the line. Area 2 allows 58 dBA and still may not cover an unenclosed set. A neighbor complaint is how the town learns the test happened. The ordinance does not give you a “sea trial exemption” for a boat that is not at sea. The vacuum reading you needed is still available in the daytime window. Missing it because the generator was shut off is a delay, not a new fault.
Who signs, who pays, how long
| Question | What the ordinance says |
|---|---|
| Who measures | The town, with an A-scale meter at the property line (Sec. 42-226) |
| Who schedules the test | You do. The code is silent on a permit signature for a stabilizer run |
| How long you have | Day limits apply 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; night limits apply the other hours |
| Who pays a diagnostic fee | Not published. Verify. Do not treat decibels as a price |
How the next place differs
| Place | Night figure | Why it is not this page |
|---|---|---|
| Areas 1, 3, and 4 | 55 dBA | Ordinance 008-2022 aligned Area 4 with 1 and 3 |
| Area 2, Wells to Worth | 58 dBA | The ordinance left this band higher |
| West Palm Beach or a Broward yard | Not this table | Different municipality, or a spill BMP instead of a decibel map |
Checklist for the dockside run
- Place the dock on the Area 1–4 map before you promise an evening test.
- Plan the loaded run between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. unless you have measured the night number.
- Treat the property line as the microphone, not the engine-room door.
- Do not file this as a house-generator permit. That job stops.
- If the complaint is oil rather than noise, leave this page for the county that has the boat.
Fee or timeline the document prints
No fee for a stabilizer diagnostic appears in Ordinance 008-2022 or in Sections 42-226 and 42-228. The timeline that is printed is the day/night split: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. The numbers that are printed are 61/55 and, in Area 2, 64/58. A building permit for a residential standby generator is a different checklist. This desk does not take that permit.
Questions from the wheelhouse
Is the night limit the same everywhere on the island?
No. Ordinance 008-2022 set Area 4 to 61 dBA by day and 55 dBA at night. Area 2 stays 64 dBA by day and 58 dBA at night. Night is 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Where is the meter placed?
Section 42-226 uses the A scale at the property line of the private property where the noise starts. A generator on a yacht at a private dock is read at that line, not at the flybridge.
Does the vehicle statute cover the generator?
Section 42-229 points vehicular noise at Florida Statutes § 316.293. A dockside stabilizer load test is the nonvehicular table in § 42-228.
Do I need this page for a West Palm Beach boatyard?
No. West Palm Beach is a different municipality and does not use the Town’s Area 1–4 map. Broward yards use a spill BMP, not this decibel table. If the test is not on the island, stop and open the note that matches the berth.
Where to read next
Sources
- Town of Palm Beach. Ordinance 008-2022, amending Section 42-228. Accessed 8 October 2026. town code PDF.
- Town of Palm Beach Code, Chapter 42, Environment. Accessed 8 October 2026. Municode.
- Town of Palm Beach. “Generator Information,” reprinting Sections 42-226 to 42-228. Accessed 8 October 2026. townofpalmbeach.com.
- Florida Legislature. “§ 316.293, motor vehicle noise,” the statute Section 42-229 points at for vehicles. Accessed 8 October 2026. flsenate.gov.