A. Insofar as practicable, sound will be measured while the source under investigation is operating at normal, routine conditions. All noise measurements shall be made as directed in this section 5-1-3. When a measurement is required at a property line, the measurement shall be made as close thereto as is reasonable. For the purposes of this section 5-1-3, noise measurements are measured on the A-weighting scale slow meter response speed and/or C-weighting scale slow meter response speed of a sound level meter (SLM) of standard design and quality having characteristics established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
B. All tests shall be conducted in accordance with the following procedures:
1. The NCO shall, to the extent practicable, identify all sources contributing sound to the point of measurement, but shall not be required to document the absence of such sources or document that such sources would not have caused the test to be valid.
2. When a measurement is being taken to determine whether the noise source is in violation of the absolute caps set forth in subsection 5-1-3-7A of this chapter, the measurement shall be taken at the receiving property line of the affected person or as close thereto as is reasonable.
3. Measurements shall be taken at two hundred feet (200') from the noise source during daytime hours or at one hundred feet (100') from the noise source during nighttime hours when the affected person and noise source are both located on public property, public right of way or jointly shared private property where both the affected party and noise source are located.
4. The SLM must be calibrated using a calibrator recommended by the SLM manufacturer and in the manner recommended.
5. The SLM must be recertified and the calibrator must be recalibrated at least once each year by the manufacturer or by a person that has been approved by the NCA. A copy of written documentation of such recertification and recalibration, in a form approved by the NCA, shall be kept by the NCA with sufficient documentation to identify the equipment to which it refers.
6. Unless the manufacturers' specifications allow adjustments to be made to compensate for the following factors, no outdoor measurements shall be taken:
a. During periods when wind speeds (including gusts) exceed fifteen (15) miles per hour;
b. Without a windscreen, recommended by the SLM manufacturer, properly attached to the SLM;
c. Under any condition that allows the SLM to become wet; or
d. When the ambient temperature is out of the range of the tolerance of the SLM.
Provided, however, that it shall not be necessary to document the absence of the conditions set forth in this subsection for a reading to be valid.
If one of these conditions exist, measurement shall be taken pursuant to subsection 5-1-3-7B of this chapter.
C. The formal approved report for each measurement session shall include:
1. The starting and ending date, day of the week, and times at which measurements are taken;
2. The times of calibration;
3. The weather conditions, including notable wind speeds;
4. The identification of all monitoring equipment by manufacturer, model number, and serial number;
5. The normal operating cycle of the sources in question with a description of the sources, provided however, that where the sources in question do not have a normal operating cycle, such notation shall not be required;
6. The sound level in LASeq or LCSeq with the source(s) in question operating;
7. The total accumulative time duration of the monitoring session; and
8. A description of the measurement site, including measurement locations and relevant distance and other information sufficient for another investigator to repeat the measurements under similar conditions. Photographs which contain sufficient information for another investigator to repeat the measurements under similar conditions may be substituted at the discretion of the NCO.
9. Information required in the report to support the issuance of a citation shall be considered sufficient if the data captured by the SLM provides such information, and/or such information can be provided by the citation and/or testimony of the NCO taking such readings and/or such other reports generated by the NCO or any police officer.
D. Prior to taking noise measurements, the investigator shall reasonably explore the vicinity of the source in question to identify any other sound sources that could affect measurements, to establish the approximate location and character of the principal sound source, and to select suitable locations from which to measure the sound from the source in question. Unless the reasonable exploration of the site uncovers a condition that would affect the measurements, the NCO shall not be required to make a notation that this subsection has been satisfied.
E. The SLM shall be placed at a minimum height of three feet (3') above the ground or from any reflective surface. When handheld, the microphone shall be held at arm's length and pointed at the source as recommended by the SLM manufacturer.
F. If extraneous sound sources, such as aircraft flyovers or barking dogs, that are unrelated to the measurements increase the monitored sound levels, the measurements should be postponed until these extraneous sounds have become of such a level as not to increase the monitored sound levels of interest.
G. The monitoring session should last for a period of time sufficient to ensure that the sound levels measured are typical of the source in question, but in no event shall the duration of testing be less than five (5) minutes. (Ord. 469, 2-12-2013, eff. 3-8-2013)