What to know about AV control in Scottsdale
Locked volume limits help with Scottsdale's noise rules
Scottsdale presumes noise over 68 dB(A) is unreasonable when a bar or live-entertainment business disturbs a residential district. Unreasonable means audible at least 100 feet from the business, and fines are $500, $1,500 and $2,500. A control system that caps each zone keeps a busy night from drifting past a number you chose.
Old Town runs on a different standard
Downtown is excluded from the ordinance's residential district, and police there rely on the state disorderly conduct law, with a 2019 informal agreement at 95 dBA and 110 dBC in the Entertainment District. A newer ordinance with Old Town limits was continued in February 2026. A control system lets us change the cap in one place if the rule changes.
AV wiring still falls under the electrical permit
The city says an electrical permit is required to install, alter or repair wiring on any building. Its amended exemption list names only minor repairs and maintenance and lists nothing for low-voltage, data, AV or security wiring. Permit Services is at 480-312-2500.
Source: Scottsdale amendments to the 2021 International Building Code
Radio interference is prohibited
Scottsdale prohibits installing or operating equipment that interferes, or is likely to interfere, with the city's public safety communications system. Wireless control gear and microphones use radio, so we pick equipment and channels with that in mind.
Source: Scottsdale amendments to the 2020 National Electrical Code
What a control system does
A control system sits between the people and the equipment. Staff touch one button, such as Open, Game Day or Close, and the system turns on the right TVs, picks the sources, sets the music zones and dims the lights. The equipment can come from different brands.
The button names are yours. We label them the way your staff talk, so a new hire can run the room on the first shift.
Tablet, wall panel or phone
A wall panel is always in the same place and is hard to lose. A tablet moves with a manager and can run the bar and the patio. An app on a phone works for owners, but staff generally want something fixed. We usually combine a wall panel at the bar with a tablet for the manager.
What it can control
- TVs and sources, as part of video distribution.
- Music zones and volume limits through commercial audio.
- Lighting scenes, where the lighting can be controlled.
- Projectors, screens and room settings in a meeting space.
- Staff access levels, so a server can change a channel but not the cap.
Limits, logs and permissions
The most useful setting in a bar is the one nobody can change by accident. We set a ceiling on each zone in the amplifier, then give the manager a setting that can move within it. Staff pages hide that control completely.
That is what makes the system helpful if a neighbor or a regulator asks. You can show the limit you set and when it was last changed.
Planning for a rule change
Scottsdale's Old Town noise rules are still being discussed. The ordinance update with decibel limits for Old Town was continued on the February 10, 2026 work study and was not adopted on the city's page, last updated in May 2026. A well-built control system makes a new limit a ten-minute change. Without one, it can mean replacing equipment.
Where it fits
Control shares a rack with commercial audio and TV distribution in bars, and with conference room AV in offices. The rest is on the Scottsdale page. Call (602) 769-7992 and we will look at what you already have.
