The following words and terms shall, throughout this chapter, have the meaning given
as hereinafter set forth and defined. All terminology used in this ordinance, not defined below, shall be in conformance with applicable publications of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or its successor body.
(a) "A-weighted sound level" means the sound pressure level in decibels as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighting network. The level so read is designated dB(a) or dBA.
(b) “Construction” means any site preparation, assembly, erection, substantial repair, alteration, or similar action, but excluding demolition, for or on public or private rights of way, structures, utilities or similar property.
(c) "Decibel (db)" means a unit for measuring the volume of a sound, equal to twenty times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is 20 micropascals (20 micronewtons per square meter).
(d) "Demolition" means any dismantling, intentional destruction or removal of structures, utilities, public or private right-of-way surfaces, or similar property.
(e) "Emergency" means any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or imminent physical trauma or property damage or loss which demands immediate action.
(f) "Emergency work" means any work performed for the purpose of preventing or alleviating the physical trauma or property damage threatened or caused by an emergency.
(g) "Gross vehicle weight rating" means the value specified by the manufacturer as the recommended maximum loaded weight of a single motor vehicle. In cases where trailers and tractors are separable, the gross combination weight rating (GCWR), which is the value specified by the manufacturer as the recommended maximum loaded weight of the combination vehicle, shall be used.
(h) "Impulsive sound" means sound of short duration, usually less than one second, with an abrupt onset and rapid decay. Examples of sources of impulsive sound include explosions, drop forge impacts and the discharge of firearms.
(i) "Industrial area" means those areas specified in Chapter 1131 of the Zoning Code of the Codified Ordinances.
(j) "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle specified in Section 301.20 of the Traffic Code of the Codified Ordinances.
(k) "Motorcycle" means every motor vehicle specified in Section 301.19 of the Traffic Code of the Codified Ordinances.
(l) "Muffler or sound dissipative device" means a device for abating the sound of escaping gases of an internal combustion engine.
(m) "Noise" means any sound which annoys or disturbs humans or which causes or tends to cause an adverse psychological or physiological effect on humans.
(n) "Noise disturbance" means any sound which:
(1) Endangers or injures the safety or health of humans or animals; or
(2) Annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities; or
(3) Endangers or injures personal or real property.
(o) "Person" means any individual, association, partnership or corporation and includes any officer, employee, department, agency or instrumentality of a State or any political subdivision of a State.
(p) "Place of public entertainment" means any commercial facility open to the general public for purposes of entertainment.
(q) "Powered model vehicle" means any self-propelled airborne, waterborne or landborne plane, vessel or vehicle, which is not designated to carry persons, including but not limited to, any model airplane, boat, car or rocket.
(r) "Public right of way" means any street, avenue, boulevard, highway, sidewalk or alley or similar place which is owned or controlled by a governmental entity.
(s) "Public space" means any real property or structures thereon which are owned or controlled by a governmental entity.
(t) "Real property boundary" means an imaginary line along the ground surface, and its vertical extension, which separates the real property owned by one person from that owned by another person, but not including intra-building real property divisions.
(v) "Retail area" means those areas specified in Chapter 1129 of the Zoning Code of the Codified Ordinances.
(w) "RMS sound pressure" means the square root of the time averaged square of the sound pressure, denoted Prms.
(x) "Sound" means an oscillation in pressure, particle displacement, particle velocity or other physical parameter, in a medium with internal forces that causes compression and rarefaction of that medium. The description of sound may include any characteristic of such sound, including duration, intensity and frequency.
(y) "Sound level" means the weighted sound pressure level obtained by the use of a sound level meter and frequency weighting network, such as A, B or C as specified in American National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters (ANSI S1.4-1971), or the latest approved revision thereof. If the frequency weighting employed is not indicated, the A-weighting shall apply.
(z) "Sound level meter" means an instrument which includes a microphone, amplifier, RMS detector, integrator or time averager, output meter, and weighting networks used to measure sound pressure levels.
(aa) "Sound pressure" means the instantaneous difference between the actual pressure and the average or barometric pressure at a given point in space, as produced by sound energy.
(bb) "Sound pressure level" means twenty times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the RMS sound pressure to the reference pressure of 20 micropascals (20 x 10-6 N/m2). The sound pressure level is denoted Lp or SPL and is expressed in decibels.
(cc) “Weekday” means any day Monday through Saturday.
(Ord. 66-76. Passed 12-6-76.)
(dd) "Vibration" means an oscillatory motion of solid bodies of deterministic or random nature described by displacement, velocity or acceleration with respect to a given reference point. (Ord. 69-80. Passed 10-6-80.)