Leesburg council holds public hearing on outdoor amplified-music rules; hires sound expert before action

The Leesburg Town Council held a public hearing April 8 on proposed changes to the town's noise rules for amplified outdoor music, and directed staff to retain a sound-engineering consultant before the council takes further action.

Town staff presented a proposal to replace the town's subjective "plainly audible" standard with an objective, decibel-based system and a permit process for amplified outdoor music. "The decibel based standard I think not only makes enforcement easier for our officers, but it also gives the venue the opportunity to pretest for its compliance," town staff member Chris Spira told the council during the presentation. Spira said his office surveyed Northern Virginia jurisdictions and proposed a preliminary continuous-noise range between 65 and 70 decibels for council consideration.

The council did not vote on an ordinance. Instead, following extensive public comment, the council approved a motion to table final action until staff returns with a report from a retained sound expert. The motion to adopt the meeting agenda with that amendment was moved by Councilmember Nacey, seconded by Councilmember Steinberg, and passed 6-0-1.

Why it matters: The change would replace a standard that officers have described as hard to apply with a measurable threshold and a defined measurement location. Proponents say a decibel standard helps businesses confirm compliance in advance; residents say carefully chosen limits are needed to prevent amplified music from intruding into homes.

What staff proposed and how enforcement would work Staff said the draft approach focuses narrowly on amplified outdoor music and would not…