Just got word that the city attorney’s office has come up with a new proposal for changes to the Charlotte noise ordinance.
Here are some of the highlights:
The proposal would establish the following decibel limits measured at the business establishment’s property line:
* 85 db(A) Sun-Thu between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
* 60 db(A) Sun-Thu between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
* 85 db(A) Fri-Sat between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.
* 60 db(A) Fri-Sat between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
In order to enforce, enforcing authority must determine that sound is unreasonably loud and disturbing to the quiet enjoyment and use of residential property (includes hotels/motels).
Chronic Noise Producer that refuses to agree to a mitigation plan or fails to
comply with a mitigation plan is subject to $1,000 civil penalties and, after two
violations, may not have any outdoor amplification or acoustic music for one year
Operate or allow the operation of any sound amplification equipment so as to create sounds registering 55 db(A) between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Friday or Saturday or 50 db(A) at any other time, as measured anywhere within the boundary line of the nearest residentially occupied property.
The next meeting of the Community Safety Committee is on April 20.
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2011.
Hmmm. There still is a question of how this will be measured and if the police will be equipped & trained to measure the dbs.
There is also a huge misunderstanding db measurements. A passing car at 10 ft. or garbage disposal at 3 ft is 80 db.
Are we passing an ordinance of single sounds, or sound-over-time?
So it seems the ordinance is still vague, and unenforceable