Photo credit: Kelly
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
The Atlanta News First website reports that the Decatur City Commission set universal noise levels for the city. Decatur is a small suburb of Atlanta, located about six miles from the state capital, with only 25,000 inhabitants. The new sound levels are 65 decibels from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 60 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The article didn’t discuss how the new sound levels will be enforced. As our colleague Arline Bronzaft has often noted, enforcement is key.
Regardless, this seems to be a great step forward. The low permissible sound levels essentially ban use of any gas-powered land care equipment, and also any amplified music for backyard barbecues. The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse has compiled a list of city and county noise regulations from around the United States, which I have not studied, but most noise ordinances I’ve looked at do not have any regulations for daytime noise.
I plan to contact the Decatur authorities to ask how the new sound ordinance will be enforced. Even if the commission hasn’t specified enforcement, I think that even having a municipal ordinance like the one in Decatur is a big step forward.
A quieter city will be a better and healthier place, part of a quieter and better world for all.
