ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the present state of noise laws, regulations, and standards. Noise is regulated in one form or another on the federal, state, and local government level. The regulations take the form of restrictions on the level of noise emitted by noise sources, such as trucks, aircraft, construction, or by facilities such as industrial plants and commercial activities which consist of many individual noise sources. A developer, which could be from the private sector or government, of a proposed facility must assess the environmental impact of the proposed facility and prepare an Environmental Impact Report. The chapter emphasises the motivation behind the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), elements of the EIS, and a typical local EIS ordinance. It presents noise measurement standards and recommended practices which are developed by scientific, engineering, and standards writing associations such as the Acoustical Society of America, Society of Automotive Engineers, and the American National Standards Institute.
