EVERETT — The Everett City Council approved changes to the city’s noise ordinance on Wednesday, amending definitions and simplifying enforcement of its noise control law.
The updated ordinance made new distinctions between short-term and ongoing noises, broadened what can be used to measure sounds and created a tiered enforcement system to increase sanctions for repeat offenders, a council document said.
The new ordinance defines “impulse sounds” as noises which have an abrupt onset and last less than one second. Those impulse sounds are permitted to be slightly louder than other noises defined by the ordinance.
The previous ordinance required sound measurements to be made with a sound level meter which meets certain requirements defined by the American National Standards Institute. The new ordinance amends that to allow any device that records sound with an overall accuracy which meets those standards.
Violating the code is a misdemeanor. Under the new ordinance, those who violate the code three or more times within a one-year period can be charged with a gross misdemeanor.
The ordinance only covers sounds which have a defined source. Moving vehicles, for example, are not covered under the ordinance.
“In practice, I think it’s going to be effective for those chronic violators … It’s not going to be able to cover that car that’s driving down the street and you hear, but you don’t know where it’s associated with, it’s passing through. That would be in the traffic code.” Hil Kaman, a member of the city’s legal department, said at a Feb. 12 council meeting.
This ordinance is not a solution by itself to the problem of excessive noise, council member Ben Zarlingo said Wednesday, but it’s a piece of a puzzle that could allow the city to respond better to noise complaints.
“There’s a real effort here on the part of the city,” Zarlingo said. “It’s a very thorny problem. A lot of cities don’t address them well, but it has a real impact on our residents, and I just wanted to reassure that we’re all working to have an impact on the worst offenders in this case and focusing on that. Hopefully we’ll all be seeing some improvements soon.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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