Council approves noise-ordinance clarification after debate about nightclub bass and enforcement

Seaside’s City Council voted 4–1 on June 4 to adopt an amendment clarifying the noise ordinance so that normal noises from legally permitted uses will not automatically be considered "excessive, unnecessary, or unusually loud," while retaining quantitative decibel thresholds in the zoning code for enforcement.

Planning manager Andrew Myrick explained that chapter 9.12 is a qualitative nuisance standard and that the proposed addition would exempt normal operational noises from permitted uses so they are not deemed per se violations. He noted that section 17.30 contains numerical decibel thresholds and that enforcement would rely on those quantitative measures when appropriate.

A member of the public who said they live near DejaBlu described repeated problems with low-frequency bass that does not always register as high decibel levels but still causes sleep disruption and nuisance. A subsequent public commenter with technical concerns about low‑frequency sound urged the city to consider enforcement tools for bass and infrasound.

Police and planning staff told the council that while the amendment makes some forms of nuisance enforcement more challenging, it balances the need for businesses to operate with residents’ rights by preserving measurable decibel standards for enforcement. Council discussed the potential difficulty of enforcing complaints about low-frequency noise that do not exceed standard decibel cutoffs.

Council adopted the ordinance as a first reading on a 4–1 vote. Staff said they will monitor complaints and enforcement patterns and return with recommended adjustments if necessary.