Carpentersville cracks down on noise

If you're in a garage band, have yappy dogs or like the sound of a loud vehicle, the Carpentersville village board wants to keep you quiet.

Village trustees on Tuesday directed the village attorney to draw up a new noise ordinance that makes it easier for complainants, perpetrators and compliance officers to identify an unreasonable noise level.

Currently, the village ordinance prohibits "unreasonably harsh or loud sounds," "noise louder than necessary," and noise so as to annoy or disturb persons in the vicinity."

However, village attorney James Rhodes said those standards are not objective and are difficult to enforce.

Under the revised ordinance that is yet to be passed, the village would adopt a "loud and raucous" standard for certain types of noises, such as landscaping equipment, pets, amplifiers and horns and signaling devices. Rhodes said the standard is adequate to prevent noises from rising to a level of being outrageous.

"I guess there won't be any garage bands coming out of Carpentersville," Village President Bill Sarto said.

While the standards are similar to the village's current standard, the proposed ordinance would provide specific objective and easily measured or determined standards for each type of noise, Rhodes wrote in a memorandum to the village board. Rhodes added in certain instances the times at which the generation of such noise would disturb a reasonable person of normal sensitivity.

For example, amplified sound from items such as speakers, cannot be plainly audible for a distance of 25 feet beyond the property line from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

"You are not going to solve all of the noise issues that get created," Rhodes said. "People have all kinds of sensitivities when it comes to noise. You have people who can sleep through an atom bomb and you have others in the room who wake at the slightest sound."

The new ordinance would require additional measuring tools and training for village employees.

Trustees are expected to approve the updated ordinance at an upcoming meeting.

Noise: Ordinance expected to be approved