Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Noise Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council advances countywide noise ordinance setting 60 dB standard, asks staff to refine exemptions before final vote
Summary
At second reading, Chesterfield County Council approved changes to Chapter 92 that set a 60 dB limit within 300 feet of residences, remove the special‑events permit section and standardize enforcement; members asked staff to add exemptions (stadiums, schools, churches) and clarify measurement points before third reading.
Chesterfield County Council approved second reading of an amendment to Chapter 92 of the county code that would set a uniform 60‑decibel limit for noise within 300 feet of any residentially occupied structure and remove the ordinance section authorizing special‑event permits.
County attorney Mr. Bryant, who walked council through the nine‑page amendment, said the change "would bring almost every residential structure in the county into a unified standard" and noted the draft lets enforcement rely on either a decibel reading or a sheriff's determination that a sound is "excessive, unnecessary, or unusually loud." The amendment also tightens definitions and moves housekeeping changes into the code.
Council members pressed staff about how 60 dB would be measured (property line or point of complaint), practical enforcement, and whether the change would unintentionally bar common community uses. "As currently written, it's 60 dB at all times near any home," one council member said, prompting discussion about adding exemptions for stadium events, school‑sponsored activities and churches. Deputy Chief Spence and others warned that a strict 60 dB at all hours could restrict events such as football and baseball games.
Members agreed to approve second reading to keep the ordinance moving while directing staff to fine‑tune the decibel‑meter language, add appropriate exemptions and gather additional county examples before the third and final reading. The council adopted the second reading by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was provided in the transcript.
