Lindenhurst Village moves toward a better noise ordinance

The Village of Lindenhurst is holding a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed law that would clearly define excessive noise levels.

The village's current noise code does not provide specific standards. Instead it uses a basis of "unreasonable" noise that is defined as "any excessive or unusually loud sound" that "annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of a reasonable person of normal sensitivities."

Village Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Cullinane said that in cases where a resident complains about noise levels, a police or code enforcement officer could come to the site and determine whether the noise level was "reasonably" loud.

The problem, Cullinane said, is that "one person's thought of reasonable might be different than another person's thought of reasonable." As issues have come up about music from block parties and other situations where noise levels were discussed, the village decided to give the code a "scientific standard" Cullinane said.

There was no particular incident that sparked the proposed law, he said. "There were maybe a series of things where our own people found it difficult to enforce on a regular basis," he said.

The proposed law would break down noise regulations for specific categories such as construction work, air conditioning units and motor vehicles. The law states that the village "shall order an immediate halt to any sound which exposes any person . . . to continuous sound levels" in excess of decibel levels and time periods that range from 90 dB(A) for 24 hours to 108 dB(A) for 22 minutes.

The code includes two exceptions: "Sporting, amusement and entertainment events during practice, rehearsal and performance" and "emergency work and safety and protective devices used to alert persons of an emergency."

The proposed law also would increase penalties for noise violations, from the current "not less than $50 nor more than $500" to "not less than $50 nor more than $1,000."

The public hearing will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 430 S. Wellwood Ave.