New Hope passes noise ordinance

Violators will be given a written warning before they are fined.

By: Linda Seida
   NEW HOPE — When asked to turn down the music coming out of their radios or CD players at 3 a.m., an overwhelming majority of people comply.
   It’s the one person in a thousand who thumbs his nose at such a reasonable request that made the Borough Council pass an ordinance May 13 against "excessive and unnecessary noise."
   "In 999 cases out of 1,000, you are going to have voluntary compliance," said council President Richard Hirschfield.
   Unfortunately, the borough discovered it lacked a specific ordinance to handle the one bad apple in the bunch.
   "We had a few noise complaints, and we couldn’t find the ordinance," Mr. Hirschfield said. "Everybody thought we had one. We couldn’t do anything besides charge them with disturbing the peace, which is a criminal offense and very difficult to move forward with."
   The new ordinance makes excessive noise a civil matter and "much easier to prosecute," Mr. Hirschfield said.
   The minimum fine can be as high as $300. When the offending noise continues after notification to stop has been received in the form of hand-delivered or certified mail, it would be considered a first offense, eligible for a fine. Second and subsequent violations within a 12-month period will double the previous fine to a maximum of $1,000 for each separate offense.
   "I believe it’s an additional tool for us to deal with people who do not want to cooperate," said New Hope Police Chief Rick Pasqualini.
   The ordinance refers to more than just personal stereos. It also encompasses excessive noise made by vehicles, machinery or equipment, including musical instruments and amplifiers, "or by any other means or methods, which are physically annoying to the comfort of any reasonable person or which are so harsh, prolonged, unnatural or unusual in their use, time and place as to occasion physical discomfort, or which are otherwise injurious to the lives, health, peace and comfort of the inhabitants of New Hope Borough."
   Among the ordinance’s prohibitions:
   • Operating lawn mowers or such noisy tools as grinders, sanders and saws between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
   • A bird or other animal that makes continuous or persistent noise for 15 minutes or more at any hour, even if housed on private property.
   • Construction work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and anytime Sunday. This includes drilling, blasting, demolition, excavation and extraction of stone.
   • A burglar alarm that continues to sound for more than 10 minutes.
   • Snowblowers are permitted anytime in the 24 hours following a snowstorm. After that time, snowblowers are prohibited between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
   • Some restrictions also apply to motor vehicles. These include operating motor vehicles or motorcycles at any time in such a way that the level of noise emitted creates a disturbance.