Regulating Noise in Small Communities 1 comment
In Lake Placid, New York, an Adirondack village known for nightlife, village officials and trustees are on a mission to keep noise – radios, televisions, musical instruments, shouting, construction, singing and horns – to a minimum.
In an area where barrooms and restaurants neighbor apartments and private residences, the village makes a valid argument. Residents deserve to have quiet time at night. Permits will be made available for parties and events past the hour of 9:30 p.m.
A 1982 law set 10:00 p.m. as the start of quite time and required use of decibel meters to determine if noise was too loud. The new law establishes quiet hours between 9:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in the village. No decibel limit has been set: the police department will determine inappropriate noise. If noise levels are deemed disruptive, offenders face fines and possibly jail time.
Other area villages, such as Plattsburgh, N.Y. and Rouses Point, N.Y., also have laws prohibiting loud noise at unreasonable hours.
Some people in Lake Placid would like to see the start of the quite hours returned to 10:00 p.m. or later. Residents working late shifts or second jobs may not be home by 9:30 p.m. They believe that they are entitled to music and entertainment. Leaving judgment to the police (and those making the complaint) might be tricky. Excessive noise levels are not the same to everyone.
Tell us what you think – do you think noise ordinances are necessary? Is 9:30 p.m. too early for quiet time?
I believe noise ordinances for villages such as Lake Placid or Plattsburgh make a lot of sense. commercial activities, or college parties (Plattsburgh) are fine, but the local residents have a right to peace and quite after a reasonable hour in the evening. The time that those hours start should be set by residents through voting or referendum.