Council considers shifting noise code to objective dBA limits, seeks measurement guidance

City staff presented a proposal to update the city’s noise nuisance ordinance (last reviewed in 2011) by establishing objective decibel thresholds and clearer measurement guidance to replace the current subjective 'unreasonable' standard.

Key proposals included setting a 63 dBA residential threshold and a 70 dBA commercial threshold, adding vehicle‑mounted sound system language, adjusting times for equipment like leaf blowers to 'after sunset' rather than a fixed hour, and creating a measurement protocol using decibel meters or approved applications. Staff cited San Antonio and Alamo Heights as models and explained the logarithmic nature of dBA levels and practical measurement concerns.

Council members and the police chief raised enforcement questions: how city officers would certify meters and whether measurement devices require calibration, how to handle deliveries or OSHA‑required backup alarms, and how to coordinate noise complaints originating from establishments across the highway in neighboring San Antonio. Staff recommended advancing to a public hearing and first reading if council supported the objective standard. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; council signaled general support to proceed to formal hearings.