Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The city of Pelham will host a public hearing on Monday, Nov. 18 to address a new, proposed noise ordinance that would restrict excessive noise between the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Currently, the noise ordinance for the city of Pelham is in effect from midnight to 9 a.m.

According to Pelham Police Chief Brent Sugg, the city often receives noise complaints from residents that frequently become frustrated that the police cannot intervene until midnight.

“Probably next to traffic and speeding in residential neighborhoods, our next biggest complaint that we receive as a police department is noise violations within residential areas, specifically people with kids that have to go to school the next day,” Sugg said. “Unfortunately, with our ordinance not beginning until midnight, that really limited us.”

In response to resident complaints, Sugg worked with Pelham Assistant City Manager Justin Smith to draft a new noise ordinance they believe will better align with the wishes of Pelham residents.

“We have made some changes to the times that the noise ordinance was applicable to, as well as added some clarity to several of the items around allowable things and not allowable items to try to give the police department and any officers that would be enforcing the code the tools necessary to do their jobs,” Smith said.

When it came to specific questions around clarification, Sugg shared that they turned to other nearby cities to model the new ordinance.

“There were some questions about in apartment complexes and about the boundary lines, so what we did is we modeled our ordinance off of other cities in Alabama,” Sugg said. “The assistant city manager and I looked at probably more ordinances than either one of us ever wanted to in reading about noise. I think that with his background, he crafted a really good ordinance here, and we fully support it.”

If passed, the new noise ordinance would prohibit excessive noise from commercial properties, residential properties and motor vehicles during the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The ordinance applies to live and electronically produced music, as well as vehicle sound amplification systems.

 

Exceptions to the noise ordinance would include:

-Emergency and public works, such as construction related to restoring essential public services.

-After-hours work for public convenience, such as repairing a street when public welfare renders it impractical to perform the work between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

-Groundskeeping and maintenance of public recreational facilities, such as golf courses and athletic fields, but only between the hours of 5-7 a.m.

-Sirens, horns and whistles, such as emergency vehicle sirens and train horns.

-Burglar/fire alarms and smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.

-Bells or chimes associated with time keeping at a church or school.

-Noises from authorized activities, such as authorized entertainment and athletic events at facilities operated by the city of Pelham or the Pelham City Schools Board of Education or authorized events within the Pelham Arts and Entertainment District.

 

The public hearing to discuss the proposed noise ordinance will occur on Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Pelham City Hall at 3162 Pelham Parkway, Pelham.