Source: https://www.ecode360.com/11765797
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 06:09:20+00:00

Document:
§ 635-3 Declaration of findings and policy.
§ 635-4 Noise control officers.
§ 635-5 Maximum permissible sound levels.
§ 635-6 Restricted uses and activities.
Alarm systems — See Ch. 116.
Animals — See Ch. 134.
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.
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 noise control officer need not determine the title, specific words, or the artist performing the song.
Any real property or structures thereon that are owned, leased or controlled by a governmental entity.
Either: a) the imaginary line including its vertical extension that separates one parcel of real property from another; b) the vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit that is part of a multidwelling-unit building; or c) 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).
Now therefore, it is the policy of The Township of Bloomfield 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 originating from sources within the Township of Bloomfield.
The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by noise control officers. A person shall be qualified to be a noise control officer if the person meets the criteria set forth in the definition above and completes, at a frequency specified by the Department in N.J.A.C. 7:29-2.11, a noise certification and recertification course which are offered 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.
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 §§ 635-5B and C of this regulation and with the definition of "real property line" as contained herein.
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 § 635-7.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in § 635-2A 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 when measured at or within the real property line of any of the receiving properties listed in Tables I and II, except as specified in Subsection B below.
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 and received within a residential unit of the same building) or multidwelling-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 multidwelling-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 as shown in Table I.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in § 635-2A above in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound levels listed below.
10:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.
In those instances when a commercial facility shares a common wall/ceiling/floor with another commercial facility that is producing the sound.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in § 635-2A above in such a manner as to create a sound pressure level that equals or exceeds the sound levels listed below in one or more octave bands.
When octave measurements are made, the sound from the source must be constant in level and character. If octave band sound pressure level variations exceed plus or minus 2 dB in the bands containing the principal source frequencies, discontinue the measurement.
10 p.m. - 7 a.m.
Except as provided in Subsection B below, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the exceptions listed at N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.4.
Power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment, excluding emergency work, shall not be operated within the Township between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, except that such equipment may be used by an occupant or owner of the premises between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment shall not be operated between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., except that such equipment may be used by an occupant or owner of the premises between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays and federal holidays, power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment shall not be operated, except that such equipment may be used by an occupant or owner of the premises between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Gas-powered equipment used in these articles shall be operated with a muffler.
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Subsection B(2), regarding hours of commercial equipment operation, and redesignated former Subsection B(3) through (9) as Subsection B(2) through (8), respectively.
Sound levels exceeding the limits set forth in Table I and Table II shall be prohibited between residential units within the same multidwelling-unit building. Measurements shall be taken indoors as per § 635-5B and C.
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. 7:29-1.6. The recipient of an enforcement document shall be entitled to a hearing in 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.

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