1. General. No person shall make, permit or cause to be made, any excessive noise of any kind by crying, calling or shouting, or by means of any whistle, rattle, bell, gong, clapper, hammer, drum, horn, hand organ, mechanically-operated piano, other musical instrument, wind instrument, mechanical device, radio, phonograph, sound amplifying or other similar electronic device unless said person has obtained a special permit from the Township Manager as provided in this Part.
2. Musical instruments. No person shall use or perform on any hand organ or other musical instrument or device, for pay or in expectation of payment, in any public way or public open space of the township before 5:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. of the day unless said person has obtained a special permit from the designated officials.
3. Noise from premises. No person owning or in possession or control of any building or premises shall use the same, permit the use of the same, or rent the same to be used for any business or employment or residential use, or for any purpose of pleasure or recreation, if such use shall, by its boisterous nature, disturb or destroy the peace of the neighborhood as measured at the property line in which such building or premise is situated, or be dangerous or detrimental to health.
4. Equipment noise. It shall be unlawful for any person to use any pile driver, shovel, hammer, derrick, hoist, tractor, roller or other mechanical equipment operated by fuel or electric power in building or construction operations from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. of the following day, except for emergency work on public improvements, work of public service utilities, and municipal services unless such equipment has been manufactured or modified for sound control and meets the provisions of this Part.
5. Noise in handling refuse cans. No person shall make any unnecessary noise in the handling of ash, trash and garbage cans, either in loading or unloading, whether full or empty.
6. Noise in vicinity of hospitals, schools and churches. No person shall make any unnecessary noise in the vicinity of any hospital, or church during hours of public worship, or school during school hours.
7. Unlawful to keep noisy animals. No person shall keep, or permit to be kept, harbor, or otherwise maintain any animal which shall disturb the quiet of any public street or other public place, or of any neighborhood. Provided, however, that a noisy animal shall be defined as one or more animals which makes noises habitually, so as to constitute annoyance to a person of ordinary sensibilities.
8. Noise by peddlers. No peddler or other person who plies a trade or calling of any nature on the streets of the township shall use any horn, bell or other sound instrument to make any noise tending to disturb the peace and quiet of the neighborhood for the purpose of directing attention to his or her wares, trade or calling.
9. Use of horns and other devices on vehicles. No person, operating any vehicle, other than police, fire, public service or ambulance operators shall sound any horn, bell, gong, siren or whistle, except for the ordinary horn installed on such vehicle by the manufacturer, or sound any type of horn except when reasonably necessary to prevent accidents or to otherwise comply with the law of motor vehicles.
10. Performance standards. The operational performance standards established by this Part shall not apply to any public performance being conducted in accordance with provisions of a special permit obtained from the designated officials for the conduct thereof.
11. Vehicles. No person shall operate either a motor vehicle of a type subject to registration, except in police, fire equipment, ambulances or other government emergency vehicles at any time or under any condition of grade, load, acceleration or declaration in such a manner as to exceed the following noise limits for the category of minor vehicles based on a distance of 50 feet from the center of the lane traveled on within the speed limit specified in this section under test procedures established by § 10-110.
Type of Vehicle | Speed Limit of 35 Mph or Less | Speed Limit of More than 35 Mph |
(1) Any motor vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross combination weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more and any combination of vehicles towed by such motor vehicle: | 86 dB(A) | 90 dB(A) |
(2) Any other vehicle or any combination of vehicles towed by such motor vehicle: | 76 dB(A) | 82 dB(A) |
(3) Any motorcycle or motor driven cycle: | 78 dB(A) | 82 dB(A) |
A. This Section applies to the total noise from a vehicle or combination of vehicles and shall not be construed as limiting or precluding the enforcement of any other provisions of this code relating to motor vehicle mufflers for noise control.
B. No person shall modify or change the exhaust muffler, intake muffler or any other noise abatement device of a motor vehicle so that the noise level is increased above that emitted by the vehicle as originally manufactured. Procedures used to establish compliance with this division shall be those used to establish compliance of a new motor vehicle with the requirements of this Part.
C. No person shall sell or lease or offer for sale or lease a new or second-hand vehicle that produces a maximum noise exceeding the noise limit at a distance of 50 feet from the centerline of travel as stated in this Section. The manufacturer, distributor, importer or designated agent shall, if requested, certify in writing to the township that his or her vehicles sold or leased within the township comply with the provisions of this Part.
12. Equipment.
A. No person shall operate any powered equipment or powered hand tool that produces a maximum noise level exceeding the following noise limits at a distance of 50 feet, under test procedures established by § 10-110.
Type of Equipment | Noise Limit |
(1) Construction and industrial machinery, such as crawler-tractors, dozers, rotary drills and augers, loaders, power shovels, cranes, derricks, motor graders, paving machines, off-highway trucks, ditchers, trenchers, compactors, scrapers, pavement breakers, compressors and pneumatic power equipment, but not including pile drivers: | 86 dB(A) |
(2) Agricultural tractors and equipment: | 86 dB(A) |
(3) Powered commercial equipment of 2HP or less intended for infrequent use in residential areas, such as chain saws, pavement breakers, log chippers, powered hand tools, and the like: | 84 dB(A) |
(4) Powered equipment intended for repetitive use in residential areas, such as lawn mowers, small lawn and garden tools, riding tractors, snow removal equipment, and the like: | 70 dB(A) |
B. No person shall sell or lease or offer for sale or lease new or second-hand equipment that produces a maximum noise exceeding the noise limit at a distance of 50 feet as stated in paragraph .A. The manufacturer, distributor, importer or designated agent shall if requested certify in writing to the township that his or her equipment sold or leased within the township complies with the provisions of this Part.
(Ord. 1969-2, passed 5-26-1969; Ord. 1989-1, passed 3-13-1989) Penalty, see § 10-111