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Jefferson City Council considers new noise ordinance

The Missouri River cuts through Jefferson City and the rest of mid-Missouri.
Missouri Department of Tourism
/
flickr
The Missouri River cuts through Jefferson City and the rest of mid-Missouri.

The Jefferson City Council is considering a new noise ordinance. The city’s current noise ordinance doesn’t have a decibel level limit, so the new ordinance would make it clear to residents and businesses if they’re in violation.

Jefferson City Councilman Bill Luebbert says this new ordinance would be easier to enforce.

Before, to my knowledge, there was no decibel level. It was a matter of judgment as to whether the noise was noise was objectionable, obnoxious, those kind of words. So, we’re actually attempting to include actual measurements of sound level in the ordinance," said Luebbert.

The new ordinance would require all businesses to stay below 85 decibels between 7 am and 10 pm, which the city says is about as loud as a lawnmower from 5 feet away. After 10, businesses would have to stay below 80 decibels. The ordinance was proposed at Monday’s city council meeting and will be up for public hearing on October 15th.