Source: https://ecode360.com/28362309
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 13:15:34+00:00

Document:
§ 345-4 Noise control officer (NCO).
§ 345-5 Maximum permissible sound levels.
§ 345-6 Exceptions; restricted uses and activities.
§ 345-7 Enforcement; violations and penalties.
§ 345-8 Exceptions for special events.
Peace and good order — See Ch. 370.
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms not defined in this chapter shall have the same meanings as those defined in N.J.A.C. 7:29.
Any dismantling, destruction or removal of buildings, structures or roadways.
Any work or action necessary to deliver essential public services, including but not limited to repairing water, gas, electricity, telephone, sewer facilities or public transportation facilities, removing fallen trees on public rights-of-way, dredging navigational waterways or abating life-threatening conditions.
A properly functioning sound-dissipative device or system for abating the sound of escaping gases on equipment where such a device is part of the normal configuration of the equipment.
Any building comprising two or more dwelling units, including but not limited to apartments, condominiums, co-ops, multiple-family houses, townhouses and attached residences.
An employee of a local, county or regional health agency which is certified pursuant to the County Environmental Health Act (N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq.) to perform noise enforcement activities, or a municipality with a Department-approved noise control ordinance, and the employee has received noise enforcement training and is currently certified in noise enforcement. The employee must be acting within his or her designated jurisdiction and must be authorized to issue a summons in order to be considered a noise control officer.
Sound constant in level and character, measured in decibels with a sound-level meter.
Any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her unaided hearing faculties. As an example, if the sound source under investigation is a portable or personal vehicular sound-amplification or reproduction device, the detection of the rhythmic bass component of the music is sufficient to verify plainly audible sound. The NCO need not determine the title, specific words or the artist performing the song.
Any street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, sidewalk, alley or easement that is owned, leased or controlled by a nongovernmental entity.
Any street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, sidewalk, alley or easement that is owned, leased or controlled by a governmental entity.
Either an imaginary line, including its vertical extension, that separates one piece of real property from another; the vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit building; or, on a multi-use property, the interface between the two portions of the property on which different categories of activity are being performed (e.g., if the multi-use property is a building which is residential upstairs and commercial downstairs, then the real property line would be the interface between the residential area and the commercial area).
Any day that is not a federal holiday and beginning on Monday at 7:00 a.m. and ending on the following Friday at 6:00 p.m.
Beginning on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and ending on the following Monday at 7:00 a.m.
Sound from stationary emergency signaling devices shall be regulated in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.4, except that the testing of electromechanical functioning of a stationary emergency signaling device shall not meet or exceed 10 seconds.
Whereas excessive sound is a serious hazard to public health, welfare, safety and the quality of life, and whereas a substantial body of science and technology exists by which excessive sound may be substantially abated, and whereas the people have a right to and should be ensured of an environment free from excessive sound, now, therefore, it is the policy of the Township of Morris to prevent excessive sound that may jeopardize the health, welfare or safety of the citizens or degrade the quality of life.
This chapter shall apply to the control of sound from nonhuman sources within the Township of Morris.
The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by noise control officers. A noise control officer is a person who meets the criteria set forth in the definition above and completes, at the frequency specified by the Department in N.J.A.C. 7:29-2.11, a noise certification and recertification course given by the Department of Environmental Sciences of Cook College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, or any other noise certification or recertification course which is offered by an accredited university and approved by the Department. The Health Officer is to be recognized as the noise control officer unless specified otherwise by the Mayor and Township Committee.
Sound measurements made by a noise control officer shall conform to the procedures set forth at N.J.A.C. 7:29-2, except that interior sound-level measurements shall also conform with the procedures set forth in § 345-5B and C of this chapter and with the definition of "real property line" as contained herein.
Coordinate the noise control activities of all departments in the Township of Morris and cooperate with all other public bodies and agencies to the extent practicable.
Review the actions of the Township of Morris and advise of the effect, if any, of such actions on noise control.
Review public and private projects, subject to mandatory review or approval by other departments or boards, for compliance with this chapter.
Investigate and pursue possible violations of this chapter for sound levels which equal or exceed the sound levels set forth in Tables I and II, when measured at a receiving property located within the designated jurisdiction of the noise control officer, in accordance with § 345-7.
Editor's Note: Tables I and II are included as attachments to this chapter.
Cooperate with NCOs of adjacent municipalities in enforcing one another's municipal noise ordinances.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property as listed in § 345-2A above in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound-level limits set forth in Tables I and II, except as specified in Subsection B below.
When measuring total sound or residual sound within a multi-use property or within a residential unit when the property line between it and the source property is a common wall, all exterior doors and windows shall be closed and the measurement shall be taken in the center of the room most affected by the noise. Residual sound shall be measured in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:29-2.9(b)2. When measuring total sound or residual sound, all sound sources within the dwelling unit must be shut off (e.g., television, stereo). Measurements shall not be taken in areas which receive only casual use, such as hallways, closets and bathrooms.
Indoor measurements shall only be taken if the sound source is on or within the same property as the receiving property, as in the case of a multi-use property (e.g., sound generated within a commercial unit of a multi-use property building or multi-dwelling-unit building). In addition, indoor measurements shall be taken if the property line between the receiving property and the source property is a common wall, such as in a multi-dwelling-unit building. The allowable sound-level standards for indoors are as shown in Tables I and II.
Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., impulsive sound shall not equal or exceed 80 decibels. Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., impulsive sound which occurs less than four times in any hour shall not equal or exceed 80 decibels. Impulsive sound which repeats four or more times in any hour shall be measured as impulsive sound and shall meet the requirements shown in Table I.
Except as provided in Subsection B below, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the exceptions listed in N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.5, or any successor provision, as either may be amended from time to time.
Construction and demolition activities are exempt from the sound-level limits set forth in Tables I and II, except as provided for in Subsection B below.
Noncommercial properties. Bulldozers, backhoes, dump trucks, rollers, pavers, track hoes, lift equipment, and the like (hereinafter "heavy equipment"), excluding emergency work, power tools, landscaping and yard maintenance equipment shall not be operated on noncommercial property between the hours of 8:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later, and 7:00 a.m., weekdays, and 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., weekends, unless such activities can meet applicable limits set forth in Tables I and II. All motorized equipment used in these activities shall be operated with a muffler. At all other times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do not apply to such heavy equipment, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance.
Commercial-industrial properties. Heavy equipment, power tools, landscaping and yard maintenance equipment, excluding emergency work, utilized on commercial or industrial property shall not be operating between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless such activity can meet the applicable limits set forth in Tables I and II. All motorized equipment used in these activities shall be operated with a muffler. At all other times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do not apply to such heavy equipment and power tools or to landscaping and yard maintenance equipment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except in the case of emergency work, the operation of heavy equipment, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment on commercial or industrial properties after 6:00 p.m. on Saturday until 7:00 a.m. Monday morning is prohibited, unless the limits set forth in Tables I and II are observed and complied with.
Construction and demolition activity, excluding emergency work, shall not be performed between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays or between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays, unless such activities can meet the limits set forth in Tables I and II. All motorized equipment used in construction and demolition activity shall be operated with a muffler. At all other times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do not apply to construction and demolition activities.
Motorized snowblowers, snowthrowers and lawn equipment with attached snowplows shall be operated at all times with a muffler. At all times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do not apply.
An exterior burglar alarm of a building or motor vehicle must be activated in such a manner that the burglar alarm terminates its operation within five minutes for continuous airborne sound and 15 minutes for impulsive sound after it has been activated. At all times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do apply.
Personal or commercial vehicular music amplification equipment shall not be operated in such a manner that it is plainly audible at a residential property line between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Personal vehicular music amplification equipment shall not be operated in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet in any direction from the operator at any time.
Self-contained, portable, handheld music or sound-amplification or reproduction equipment shall not be operated on a public space or public right-of-way in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet in any direction from the operator between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., sound from such equipment shall not be plainly audible by any person other than the operator.
Sound levels exceeding the limits set forth in Table I and Table II shall be prohibited between residential units within the same multi-dwelling-unit building. Measurements shall be taken indoors as per § 345-5B and C.
No person shall own, possess or harbor any pet animal that frequently or for continued duration makes sounds that create a noise disturbance across a residential property line. For the purposes of this provision, a "noise disturbance from a pet animal" shall be defined as that created by a pet animal making noise continually for 10 minutes or intermittently for 30 minutes, unless provoked. At all times, the limits set forth in Tables I and II do not apply.
Violation of any provision of this chapter shall be cause for an enforcement document to be issued to the violator by the noise control officer according to procedures set forth at N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.7. The recipient of an enforcement document shall be entitled to a hearing in a municipal court having jurisdiction to contest such action.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty for each offense of not more than $3,000. If the violation is of a continuing nature, each day during which it occurs shall constitute an additional, separate and distinct offense.
No provision of this chapter shall be construed to impair any common law or statutory cause of action or legal remedy therefrom of any person for injury or damage arising from any violation of this chapter or from other law.
Approval by the Township Committee of the Township of Morris of a special event, such as a carnival, fair, block party or the like, shall be deemed to confer an exemption from the strict requirements of this chapter. The Township Committee reserves the right, upon short notice, to withdraw the exemption conferred in this section.

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