As used in this chapter, all terminology shall be in conformity with applicable publications of the American National Standards Institute or its successor body, except that:
(1) "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 denoted "dB(a)" or "dBA."
(2) "Construction" means any site preparation, assembly, erection, substantial repair, alteration or similar action, excluding demolition, for or on public or private rights of way, structures, utilities or similar property.
(3) "Decibel (db)" means a unit for measuring the volume of a sound, equal to twenty times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is twenty micropascals (twenty micronewtons per square meter).
(4) "Demolition" means any dismantling, intentional destruction or removal of structures, utilities, public or private right-of-way surfaces or similar property.
(5) "Emergency" means any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or imminent physical trauma or property damage or loss that demands immediate action.
(6) "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.
(7) "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, which is the value specified by the manufacturer as the recommended maximum loaded weight of the combination vehicle, shall be used.
(8) "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.
(9) "Retail area" means any area within the City zoned pursuant to the Zoning Code, as amended, in a land use category other than those categories that comprise residential areas as defined in subdivision (22) of this section.
(10) "Maliciously" means motivated by ill will toward a person while the person motivated is committing an act that violates any of the provisions of this chapter.
(11) "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle specified in Section 402.21 of the Traffic Code.
(12) "Motorcycle" means every motor vehicle specified in Section 402.20 of the Traffic Code.
(13) "Muffler or sound dissipative device" means a device for abating the sound of escaping gases of an internal combustion engine.
(14) "Noise" means any sound that annoys or disturbs humans or that causes or tends to cause an adverse psychological or physiological effect on humans.
(15) "Noise disturbance" means any sound that endangers or injures the safety or health of humans or animals, annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities or endangers or injures personal or real property.
(16) "Person" means any individual, association, partnership or corporation and includes any officer, employee, department, agency or instrumentality of a state or a political subdivision of a state.
(17) "Place of public entertainment" means any commercial facility open to the general public for purposes of entertainment.
(18) "Powered model vehicle" means any self-propelled airborne, waterborne or landborne plane, vessel or vehicle not designated to carry persons including, but not limited to, any model airplane, boat, car or rocket.
(19) "Public right of way" means any street, avenue, boulevard, highway, sidewalk, alley or similar place that is owned or controlled by a governmental entity.
(20) "Public space" means any real property or structure thereon that is owned or controlled by a governmental entity.
(21) "Real property boundary" means an imaginary line along the ground surface, and its vertical extension, that separates the real property owned by one person from that owned by another person, not including intra-building real property divisions.
(22) "Residential area" means any area within the City zoned R-S (Suburban Residence District), R-1 (Single-Family Residence District), R-2 (General Residence District) or R-3 (Multifamily residence District) pursuant to the Zoning Code, as amended.
(23) "RMS sound pressure" means the square root of the time averaged square of the sound pressure, denoted "Prms."
(24) "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.
(25) "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 the 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.
(26) "Sound level meter" means an instrument, including any microphone, amplifier, RMS detector, integrator or time averager, output meter or weighting network, used to measure sound pressure levels.
(27) "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.
(28) "Sound pressure level" means twenty times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the RMS sound pressure to the reference pressure of twenty micropascals (20 x 10- N/m) . The sound pressure level is denoted "Lp" or "SPL" and is expressed in decibels.
(Ord. 84-42. Passed 7-16-84.)