How loud is 70 dB?

Updated 25 October 2026

Modeled estimates for general information only — not measurements, not a guarantee, and not for legal, medical or real-estate decisions.

How loud is 70 dB? About as loud as a gas lawn mower at 100 feet outdoors (about 70 dB on Caltrans’ chart of typical outdoor sounds), or a vacuum cleaner at 10 feet indoors. Decibels are logarithmic, so 70 dB carries ten times the sound energy of 60 dB and is heard as about twice as loud. On the Quiet LA map, 70 dB is a 24 h (CNEL) value, a modeled average, not a sound you hear all day.

In Los Angeles, the median 24-hour level at the county’s modeled building-façade points is 56.1 dB CNEL (modeled, not a measurement; map data release of 14 October 2026).

See 70 dB on the map

What does 70 dB sound like?

• Outdoors, about a gas lawn mower at 100 feet (about 70 dB). The chart puts a commercial area (about 65 dB) a little below it and a noisy urban area in the daytime a little above it.
• Indoors, about a vacuum cleaner at 10 feet.

A change of 3 dB is barely noticeable, 5 dB is readily noticeable and 10 dB is heard as about twice or half as loud (Caltrans). So 70 dB is heard as about twice as loud as 60 dB, which is heavy traffic at 300 feet on the same chart, and as a readily noticeable step above 65 dB. The chart is read by eye, so treat each comparison as about.

What does 70 dB mean on the Quiet LA map?

The map’s 24 h value is CNEL, an average over the whole day with evening counted 5 dB higher and night 10 dB higher than day. A 24 h value of 70 dB CNEL is not a 70 dB sound all day. The Day, Evening and Night values are plain averages over their periods. See what CNEL means.

At a single address the modeled value is typically about 6 dB off, higher or lower, so a few dB either way is within that error. Quiet LA publishes county shares for 55, 60 and 65 dB CNEL on its area pages, not for 70.

Where does 70 dB show up on the map, by source?

Roads: in the tables of the six freeway guides, the median 24-hour level at building façades near a freeway stays at or above 70 dB only within 100 m, the closest band, and the median Night level does not reach 70 dB even in the closest band. Past that the level falls, and sound walls, buildings and hills move it up or down. See the 405, 101, I-10, 110, I-5 and 710 guides, and the traffic noise map.

Aircraft: the airports’ official contours include a 70 CNEL line, and federal airport noise rules ask for contours at 65, 70 and 75. The map draws airport lines in steps from 55 CNEL up, and inside a line the aircraft part of the 24 h value is at least that level. Day, Evening and Night never include aircraft. See airport noise in Los Angeles County.

Is 70 dB loud?

It depends on who is listening, for how long and at what hour, and the map does not rate any level as acceptable or not. Quiet LA gives no medical advice. For the published health benchmark numbers and what they are not, see what 45, 55 and 65 dB mean. See Limits.

How does 70 dB compare with the other levels?

Next level down: how loud is 65 dB. Method: How it’s made and Sources & methods.