Say What? Wheaton Council Updates Noise Ordinance

If you hadn’t heard yet, the Wheaton City Council has approved an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance, an upgrade that comes perhaps decades since it last was evaluated, according to mysuburbanlife.com.

The ordinance amendment approved by council on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, will require that permits be obtained a week in advance for certain noise-generating events, mysuburbanlife.com reports. City officials say the permits are free, and would be required for events that include such things as sound amplification and other audio systems, and devices such as blow horns and related noisemakers.

The ordinance change also sets a 55 decibel limit on overnight noise from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. Mysuburbanlife.com quoted Wheaton Economic Development and Planning Director Jim Kozik as describing the limit as comparable to the sound of a television heard from a distance of a yard.

City officials said the amendment reflects a significant update — it now defines noise, and the decibel level now gives the city something more objective by which to judge violations.

• Read the full story in mysuburbanlife.com