Fort Worth passes some really low noise limits :(

[its phillip]

Boo!

Shhh! Fort Worth Passes Noise Limits | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday night passed a unique noise law that sets precise limits on how loud is too loud.

In business areas, police can write citations for noises that are louder than 70 decibels at night or 80 decibels during the day.

In residential neighborhoods, the limits are even stricter -- 60 decibels at night or 70 decibels during the day.

In passing the ordinance, Fort Worth becomes one of the few big cities in the country that sets specific limits on noise.

Most cities, including Dallas, allow police officers to write citations if the noise level is "unreasonable based on the officer's personal observations" and someone complains about it, said Dallas police spokesman Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse.

Before the Fort Worth council voted on the ordinance, one woman complained that the measure doesn't address loud trains.

"The noise is very bad," she said.

City Council members said they cannot include trains in the ordinance because railroads are governed by federal law.

Also at the meeting, a professional sound engineer said the new limits are just too strict.

"These sound levels are really unworkable and not realistic," Robert Morris said. "An acoustic guitar -- played with the fingers from 1 foot away -- is 80 decibels. That violates the nighttime ordinance that you're proposing."

According to the new city ordinance, the sound is measured not at the source, but at the property line of the person making the complaint, city officials said.

Fort Worth issued 249 noise citations last year, said Fort Worth police Maj. Billy Cordell.

Cordell said police would work with businesses and residents to find solutions and not just write tickets.

Exceptions are made for industrial zones.

 

[dkane360]

I liked the woman who said the trains are too loud lol. Maybe she shouldn't live next to a train track. Chances are, it was there before she moved in.

I would rather have a specific volume that was deemed too loud than to leave it to an officer's judgement. That way, you can at least check yourself and make sure you're not violating the limit.

 

[jonnythan]

60 is really rather low. 70 decibels, at night, measured from your neighbor's property, is pretty reasonable though I think. I wouldn't want someone playing an acoustic guitar on my front lawn in the middle of the night!

 

[jonnythan]

I liked the woman who said the trains are too loud lol. Maybe she shouldn't live next to a train track. Chances are, it was there before she moved in.

I would rather have a specific volume that was deemed too loud than to leave it to an officer's judgement. That way, you can at least check yourself and make sure you're not violating the limit.

Then you have to give all the officers calibrated SPL meters to keep in the squad cars and training on how to use them.

 

[its phillip]

I liked the woman who said the trains are too loud lol. Maybe she shouldn't live next to a train track. Chances are, it was there before she moved in.

True

60 is really rather low. 70 decibels, at night, measured from your neighbor's property, is pretty reasonable though I think. I wouldn't want someone playing an acoustic guitar on my front lawn in the middle of the night!

This is reasonable. I'll have to stand outside with my SPL meter and see how loud it is - I don't think it will be anywhere close to that though. Houses are so close to each other in my subdivision

Good point about the guitar too

 

[jonnythan]

BTW, a sound measured at 80 db from 1 foot away will measure 54 dB from 20 feet away (assuming you're outside with no major reflections).

It would also be 60 dB from 10 feet away. So if you're playing that guitar, just make sure you're 10 feet from the closest property boundary

 

[Adam]

I think that I should move to Fort Worth. It's not like I'd be "that guy" that calls the cops all of the time, but it would be nice to have a noise limit that could be enforced like that.

I doubt many people would be going nuts with it, but it would help with folks that are having serious issues with neighbors. There's a house about a quarter mile away that would play bass so loudly (day or night) that it was pretty obtrusive as Niki and I would walk down the trail nearby - I can't imagine what the neighbors had to deal with. It went on for months, but I haven't noticed it recently.

I wonder if purchases of reel mowers will jump.

 

[KEW]

Does this apply to car stereos? That is my pet peeve. I usually don't mind the volume level, it is just that it sounds like crap the way the bass resonates in many cars w/subwoofer systems.

 

[KEW]

I wonder if purchases of reel mowers will jump.

Leaf blowers! I'm thinking they would be categorically banned at 70db!

 

[lsiberian]

Does this apply to car stereos? That is my pet peeve. I usually don't mind the volume level, it is just that it sounds like crap the way the bass resonates in many cars w/subwoofer systems.

I always want to hand them a roll of peel-n-seal and say get to work.

 

[j_garcia]

I think that I should move to Fort Worth. It's not like I'd be "that guy" that calls the cops all of the time, but it would be nice to have a noise limit that could be enforced like that.

I doubt many people would be going nuts with it, but it would help with folks that are having serious issues with neighbors. There's a house about a quarter mile away that would play bass so loudly (day or night) that it was pretty obtrusive as Niki and I would walk down the trail nearby - I can't imagine what the neighbors had to deal with. It went on for months, but I haven't noticed it recently.

I wonder if purchases of reel mowers will jump.

Cops here won't respond to "noise" complaints here. If it isn't a crime in progress or one that is deemed to potentially or already has caused harm or death, police will not respond immediately. This is the official policy right now. Good old budget cuts.

 

[K-wey]

Dallas resident here, where it's the responding officer's judgement.

A cranky neighbor called the cops on me earlier this year for noise. I was playing electric guitar on a Saturday afternoon, not loudly, in a nearly soundproofed studio.

The cop was apologetic - said he could barely tell which house or building it was, let alone write a ticket. Then we talked about guitars and amps for a while!

=K

 

[Adam]

Cops here won't respond to "noise" complaints here. If it isn't a crime in progress or one that is deemed to potentially or already has caused harm or death, police will not respond immediately. This is the official policy right now. Good old budget cuts.

There have been a couple of times where a noise issue almost turned into a crime in progress.

Okay, maybe just in my head. I'm such a pacifist. Oh, and a puss.

 

[mtrycrafts]

60 is really rather low. 70 decibels, at night, measured from your neighbor's property, is pretty reasonable though I think. I wouldn't want someone playing an acoustic guitar on my front lawn in the middle of the night!

Yes, but if you do the calcs, 6 dB decrease as you double the distance. 8 ft away is down by 18 dB.

 

[krzywica]

Cops here won't respond to "noise" complaints here. If it isn't a crime in progress or one that is deemed to potentially or already has caused harm or death, police will not respond immediately. This is the official policy right now. Good old budget cuts.

I think thats great. The police officers are put in place to protect and uphold the law, not play doctor Phil and to conflict mediation between people that can't get along....

This is IMO another waste of police resources. Take it to the city/town council or another court authority just as other disputes are handled.

 

[lsiberian]

There have been a couple of times where a noise issue almost turned into a crime in progress.

Okay, maybe just in my head. I'm such a pacifist. Oh, and a puss.

I usually find that cutting their electricity does the trick.

I don't really do that.

 

[j_garcia]

I think thats great. The police officers are put in place to protect and uphold the law, not play doctor Phil and to conflict mediation between people that can't get along....

This is IMO another waste of police resources. Take it to the city/town council or another court authority just as other disputes are handled.

The issue is, some of those "altercations" are what escalate into real problems, so there does need to be some attention paid. There was one here very recently where a man called to report an intruder on his property more than once, though did not report it as him feeling "threatened". Since it wasn't considered endangerment at the time, they did not respond and the caller ended up being murdered.

I do agree however, there are a LOT of calls that are basically pointless.

 

[krzywica]

The issue is, some of those "altercations" are what escalate into real problems, so there does need to be some attention paid. There was one here very recently where a man called to report an intruder on his property more than once, though did not report it as him feeling "threatened". Since it wasn't considered endangerment at the time, they did not respond and the caller ended up being murdered.

I do agree however, there are a LOT of calls that are basically pointless.

I agree that sometimes officers need to show up if there is an altercation, however passing a law like this gives busy-body neighbors free reign to send cops on nitpicking noise complaints all over the city. Which IMO is a massive waste of resources.

You know what kinda neighbors I'm talking about too.

 

[gmichael]

The bear that lives next door to us has never complained about the noises my wife & I make.

 

[jonnythan]

Yeah he never complained about the noise your wife and I make either.