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Fluvanna supervisors review revisions to noise rules and proposed parking enforcement; board asks to remove animal-noise prohibition
Summary
County Attorney presented Planning Commission-recommended updates to the Noise Ordinance (modern sound metrics, zone-specific dBA limits, exemptions) and a proposed no-parking enforcement ordinance; after discussion, the board requested removing a proposed prohibition on animal noises and discussed civil fines for parking violations.
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors heard presentations on proposed amendments to the county Noise Ordinance and a separate proposed ordinance to enforce posted no-parking zones at its June 17 meeting.
County Attorney Dan Whitten and Planning staff outlined changes recommended by the Planning Commission to Fluvanna County Code §15.2. Proposed edits would add updated purpose language noting health impacts of excessive noise, add contemporary sound-measurement definitions (A-weighted decibel/dBA, Lmax, impulse sound), define daytime and nighttime thresholds, and introduce maximum sound-level standards for Business and Industrial zones with procedures for measuring violations. The draft also included clarified prohibited acts in Agricultural and Residential zones and revisions to exempted sounds to align exemption hours. The draft created an explicit exemption for parades, fireworks, and similar official events of the Lake Monticello Owners’ Association.
Whitten also presented proposed ordinance language to create an enforcement mechanism for 'no parking' signs on County-owned property and on roads that are not interstates or arterial highways. The proposal would authorize the County Administrator to install no-parking and handicap parking signs on county property and permit Sheriff’s Office officers to enforce the restrictions; civil fines of up to $250 would be collected by the Treasurer’s Office with a summons process for delinquent citations.
After discussion, the Board requested removing the proposed prohibition on 'animal noises' from the Noise Ordinance draft. The presentation did not include a final vote to adopt the noise or parking ordinances; staff will return with formal ordinance language and next steps for Board consideration.
The sheriff’s office remains designated as the primary enforcement agent for noise complaints under the Code, and the draft aligns enforcement options to allow either criminal enforcement or a civil penalty in many instances (with a statutory limitation that civil fines may not apply to noise generated on industrial property).
