§ 13.04.10. Unnecessary noise.

(A)

Definitions:

"Property plane" means a vertical plane including the property line which determines the property boundaries in space.

"Residential zone" means all lands located within the following zones: R-1, R-2, and R-3. "Residential Zone" also means and lands located within a planned unit development area actually used for authorized residential purposes. Any zoning district other than those defined as residential zones are classified as nonresidential zones for purposes of this chapter.

"Residential power equipment" means any mechanically powered saw, sander, drill, grinder, generator, lawnmower, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, edger, snow blower or any other similar tool or device.

(B)

No person, business establishment or organization shall recklessly make or cause to be made or continued, allow, or participate in the loud or unusual noise that disturbs the peace and quiet by means of any one or more of the following acts, which are hereby expressly prohibited:

(1)

Horns and signaling devices. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any motor vehicle, motorcycle or other vehicle on any street or public place of the city, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling devices of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of any such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time; the use of any horn, whistle or other device operated by engine exhaust; and the use of any such signaling device when traffic is for any reason held up or delayed.

(2)

Radios and other devices. The using, operating or permitting to be played, used or operated of any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph or other machine or device for the producing or reproducing of sound in such manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of neighboring inhabitants or at any time with louder volume than is necessary for convenient hearing for the persons who are in the room, vehicle or chamber in which such machine or device is operated and who are voluntary listeners thereto. The operation of any such set, instrument, phonograph, machine or device between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. each day Sunday evening through Friday morning or between the hours of 12:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. Saturday and Sunday morning, in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located or exceeds 85 dB at any point outside the property plane shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.

(3)

Construction or repairing of buildings. The erection, including excavating, demolition, alteration or repair of any building other than between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. except in case of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety, and then only with written permission from the service-safety director which permit may be granted for a period not to exceed three days or while the emergency continues. If the service-safety director determines that the public health and safety will not be impaired by the erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building or the excavation of streets and highways between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M., and if he further determines that loss or inconvenience would result to any party in interest, he may grant permission for such work to be done between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Upon application being made at the time the permit for the work is awarded or during the progress of the work.

(4)

Schools, courts, churches and hospitals. The creation of any excessive noise on any street adjacent to any school, institution of learning, church or court while the same are in use, or adjacent to any hospital, which unreasonably interferes with the working of such institutions, or which disturbs or unduly annoys patients in the hospital, provided conspicuous signs are displayed in such streets indicating that the same contains school, church, hospital or court.

(5)

Sales. The shouting and crying of peddlers, hawkers and vendors which unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of neighboring inhabitants.

(6)

Vocal noise between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. each day Sunday evening through Friday morning or between the hours of 12:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. Saturday and Sunday morning, the shouting, yelling, chanting or making use of the human voice or vocal chords in a louder than normal conversational tone or pitch, escalating vocal noise, other than in an emergency situation, in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located or exceeds 85 dB at any point outside of the property plane shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.

(7)

Those businesses with outside operations that have noise or sound between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. each day Sunday evening through Friday morning, or between the hours of 12:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. Saturday and Sunday mornings in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located or exceeds 85 dB at any point outside of the property plane, or source of the noise or sound, shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.

(8)

The use or operation of any sound produced by any machine, animal, or device, except refuse/recycling trucks and residential power equipment in a residential zone, exceeding a noise level of 85 dB at any point outside of the property plane.

(9)

The use or operation of any sound produced by any machine, animal or device, except residential power equipment during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. which may be measured at a noise level exceeding 85 dB inside another dwelling unit on the same premises when that dwelling unit's windows and doors are closed.

(C)

Organizational liability as set forth in the Ohio Revised Code, Section 2929.31, shall be applied to violations of this section.

(D)

A first violation of this section shall be an administrative offense requiring a fine of $100.00. Any person cited with a first offense of this section who does not pay the required administrative fine within 30 days shall receive a minor misdemeanor citation into court, providing notice and an opportunity to be heard, which shall serve as an appeals process. A second offense within six months of the first offense shall be a minor misdemeanor and any offender who persists in such violation after reasonable warning or request to desist by a member of the Athens City Police Department shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Any subsequent offense within six months of the second offense shall be punishable as a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. In addition, any offender previously convicted of a violation of this section shall use temporary legal noise baffles to keep the noise level within the legal limits imposed above.

(Ord. No. 0-63-11, § I, 7-5-2011)