Council directs staff to limit stadium exemptions to daytime events and permit nighttime non-sport uses

Provo City staff brought the city’s noise ordinance review to the council Dec. 17 with a staff recommendation to clarify exemptions for athletic stadiums and other large venue activity.

City staff presented three options for how stadiums should be treated under the noise code. Staff recommended Option 1A: exempt official athletic competitions regardless of time of day, exempt other stadium activities during daytime hours, and require a permit for non‑sport activities held at night. The staff memo said the city’s police records show the bulk of noise complaints come from other neighborhoods and not from areas adjacent to the university stadiums; Pleasant View and University neighborhoods combined accounted for about 2–3% of citywide noise calls in staff's five‑year analysis, the presentation stated.

BYU representatives attended and described the kinds of activities they stage at the stadium (games, recruitment presentations, student events and occasional concerts or sponsored events). Council members focused on setting consistent hours and a practical permitting path. Several councilors said they preferred a clear, consistent nighttime cutoff aligned to the city’s existing nighttime noise limits so residents know when exceptions apply.

By motion, the council directed staff to draft ordinance language that (a) exempts official athletic competitions regardless of time; (b) treats other stadium activities as exempt during daytime hours; and (c) requires a permit for non‑sport stadium events after a consistent nighttime cutoff (the council indicated 10 p.m. as the reasonable cutoff). The council voted in favor of the procedural direction.