(a) No person shall make or continue or cause to be made or continued any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise, or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, within the City.
(b) The following acts, among others, are hereby declared to be loud, unnecessary or unusual noises in violation of this section, but such acts shall not be deemed to be exclusive, namely:
(1) Horns, signaling devices, etc. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, motorcycle, street car or other vehicle on any street or public place of the City, or on trucks going through the City, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; the sounding of any such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time; the use of any signaling device, except one operated by hand or electricity; 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;
(2) Radios, phonographs, etc. The use or operation of, or permitting the use or operation of, any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph or other machine or device for producing or reproducing sound in such a manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighboring inhabitants, or at any time with a louder volume than is necessary for convenient hearing for the person who is in the room, vehicle or chamber in which such machine or device is operated and who is a voluntary listener thereto. The operation of any such set, instrument, phonograph, machine or device between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located shall be prima-facie evidence of a violation of this section.
(3) Loudspeakers and amplifiers for advertising. The use or operation of, or permitting the use or operation of, any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph, loudspeaker, sound amplifier or other machine or device for producing or reproducing sound which is cast upon the public streets for the purpose of commercial advertising or for attracting the attention of the public to any building or structure;
(4) Yelling, shouting, etc. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any office or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence, or of any person in the vicinity;
(5) Animals, birds, etc. The keeping of any animal or bird which, by making frequent or long continued noise, disturbs the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity;
(6) Steam whistles. The blowing of any locomotive steam whistle, a steam whistle attached to any stationary boiler or any other whistle attached to another type of locomotive, except to give notice of the time to begin or stop work or as a warning of fire or danger or upon request of proper City authorities;
(7) Exhausts. The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motor boat or motor vehicle, except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom;
(8) Defect in vehicle or load. The use of any automobile, motorcycle or vehicle so out of repair, so loaded or in such a manner as to create loud and unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling or other noise;
(9) Loading, unloading, opening boxes. The creation of a loud and excessive noise in connection with the loading or unloading of any vehicle or with the opening and destruction of bales, boxes, crates and containers;
(10) Construction or repair of buildings. The erection (including excavating), demolition, alteration or repair of any building, other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, except in the case of an urgent necessity in the interest of the public health and safety, and then only with a permit from the Codes Administrator, which permit may be granted for a period not to exceed three days or less while the emergency continues and which permit may be renewed for periods of three days or less while the emergency continues. If the Codes Administrator determines that the public health and safety will not be impaired by the erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building or by the excavation of streets and highways between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, and if he or she further determines that loss or inconvenience would result to any party in interest, he or she may grant permission for such work to be done between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day upon application being made at the time the permit for the work is awarded or during the progress of the work.
(11) 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 is in use, or adjacent to any hospital, which unreasonably interferes with the workings of such institution, or which disturbs or unduly annoys patients in the hospital, provided that conspicuous signs are displayed in such street indicating that the same is a school, hospital or court street;
(12) Hawkers and peddlers. The shouting and crying of peddlers, hawkers and vendors which disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood;
(13) Drums. The use of any drum or other instrument or device for the purpose of attracting attention, by creation of noise, to any performance, show or sale;
(14) Transportation of metal rails, pillars and columns. The transportation of rails, pillars or columns of iron, steel or other material over and along streets and other public places upon carts, drays, cars, trucks or in any other manner, so loaded as to cause loud noises or as to disturb the peace and quiet of such streets or other public places;
(15) Operation of street railway cars. Causing, permitting or continuing any excessive, unnecessary and avoidable noise in the operation of a street railway car;
(16) Piledrivers, hammers, etc. The operation, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, of any piledriver, steam shovel, pneumatic hammer, derrick, steam or electric hoist or other appliance, the use of which is attended by loud or unusual noise; and
(17) Blowers. The operation of any noise-creating blower, power fan or internal combustion engine, the operation of which causes noise due to the explosion of operating gases or fluids, unless the noise from such blower or fan is muffled and such engine is equipped with a muffler device sufficient to deaden such noise.
(Ord. 3837. Passed 10-14-69.)