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[gordonmcgregor]

That AES report looks like it may be what I'm looking for, now to digest it

At this point I'm just a citizen who wants regulations that will actually work. From reading the newspaper it sounds like its the type 2 noise that's an issue in this case.

In practice how did they propose to measure the entertainment noise is more than 10 dB below background?


The other posts here certain reaffirm the need for measurable, practical regulations and accurate measuring tools.

Thanks

Philip

I think they measured an average background for a few days before the event at likely problem areas then during the event we and others checked to see how we were doing, the actuality was not to increase the ambient noise above their recorded average, outdoors was not too difficult as buses and cars etc maintained about 65db Leq during the day. The whole thing came from a connected shopkeeper who complained about the previous year, in realty aout loss of revenue because he was a hairdresser and nobody was going in his shop due to watching the performances. We made sure he was fine noise wise primarily from bass sound which took a bit of effort and some programme changes, in the other little indoor spaces we probably did exceed the boundary levels but as no one complained no action was taken.

In my experience there has to be consistent complaints to cause an action re noise  and it's nearly always one person or organisation leading the charge. In a city centre venue controlling structure borne sound is the hardest, outdoors negotiation about the events and what is taking place is often more succesful than any electronic means, though they can be used as well. Having a figure is just a negotiation point if someone subjectively thinks it's too loud they'll still object.

[Doug Fowler]

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/internal-apps/legislative/upload/Ordinances/BOAPdf/ordinance68130.pdf

[frank kayser]

I noted in my local home town news paper that the Township Council is looking into a creating a noise ordinance. At this point the complain seems to be people who live near area winery's that are holding outdoor concerts.

Does anyone know of a group that's creating model noise ordinances that are actually have reasonable rules? (A vs C, if the sound is above or below background noise, property line vs FOH, meter calibration, ....)

I'd like to be able to point them towards creating rules that are actually measurable and enforceable.

Thanks

Philip

Colorado Springs has an interesting noise/ordinance problem.  There are places in the Springs where there is "light industrial" in and among residential housing.
A couple years ago, a Bit Coin mining operation moved into the old Intel building.  Bitcoins are getting harder and harder to mine, requiring more hungry and hot computers to do the work. No more running Raspberry Pi stacks, and that is where it went sideways.  The constant running of roof fans to keep those computers cool are creating a drone in one residential area in particular.
 
CS has  sound ordinance of 50dBA.  Handheld meter was reading about 54 dBA IIRC.  Of course we all know those meters are coarse tools. These folks went around with the city for a couple months, and  finally the city paid for a professional sound study, which does show some marginal excess of the sound level.  The city has chosen not to prosecute, and the bit coin mining owner was trying many things to reduce the noise, including changing the pitch and rotational speed of the fans, and surrounding the plant with shipping containers stacked three high in places, hoping to funnel the sounds upward.  Still  no joy in Mudville.
So the CS city council is in quite a pickle. With the ordinance set at 50dBA, it is nearly impossible to achieve in real life.  If the council decides to prosecute this case, the flood gates  could very well open - anyone within earshot of a busy road could sue the city. 
I have not heard how this case has panned out over the last two or so years, but that is a good example of setting unrealistic expectations and the citys failure to be able to deliver.
I feel for you...

[Rob Spence]

Our little town of 6000 people was happy with sound for many years. Then a disgruntled homeowner complained about a rock hammer at a development behind his house. Of course he had been enjoying acres of woods behind his house for years without having to pay taxes, and given the chance to buy some, he declined.

Well, it was determined we needed a noise ordinance.

Two years later, well after the houses were built, a noise ordinance was proposed. It didn’t pass because they said things like no loud noises within 50’ of a public way amongst other things. Mowing your lawn, finishing the last 50’ of a subdivision street for example would violate it... oh leaf blowers... who is trained to measure and what calibrations are required? Yikes.

Ended up requiring a permit (paid for - we require paid permits for everything ) for rock hammer work more than a couple of days and roosters were not allowed to wake people before 7am.
So there!

[Scott Holtzman]

Our little town of 6000 people was happy with sound for many years. Then a disgruntled homeowner complained about a rock hammer at a development behind his house. Of course he had been enjoying acres of woods behind his house for years without having to pay taxes, and given the chance to buy some, he declined.

Well, it was determined we needed a noise ordinance.

Two years later, well after the houses were built, a noise ordinance was proposed. It didn’t pass because they said things like no loud noises within 50’ of a public way amongst other things. Mowing your lawn, finishing the last 50’ of a subdivision street for example would violate it... oh leaf blowers... who is trained to measure and what calibrations are required? Yikes.

Ended up requiring a permit (paid for - we require paid permits for everything ) for rock hammer work more than a couple of days and roosters were not allowed to wake people before 7am.
So there!

I wish we had one of those about 3 years ago.  They split the sewer between sanitary and storm and where on my street for about 6 months.  Every morning 7am sharp except Sunday  That was not fun.

[John Schalk]

The winery I've gigged at the most in the past 10 years has to stop the music by 11:00 P.M. on Fridays & Saturdays.  I am not sure about the rules for the rest of the week, but I would think that it's probably earlier?  The winery is located in the country and the nearest house is far enough away that just about any sound is going to be louder than the background noise levels.  The winery's clientele is older so ear bleeding volumes are not required, but you can thump the dance floor (back when we had a dance floor.)  This policy seems to work well.  The winery is definitely adding $$ to the local tax revenue, and the home owners seem to accept it.  There is at least one owner who will call the winery if you play the post-show music at anything above background levels though   Perhaps you can suggest this approach to your community.

[ProSoundWeb Community]