who is to determine what noise is necessary?

Question

In a number of neighborhoods around the country, noise ordinances are enacted to protect against unnessary noise at particular times of the day. Who is determine what noise is necessary? Does the cause or reason for the noise have an impact on our opinion of the noise, or is our reactions purely to the decibel levels of noise?

Answer 1

I wish there was much more of that!!!! Noise annoys. Most people IMO are insensitive to noise. They prohibit smoking at the whiff of a puff of smell pollution, but sound pollution - who cares?

And yes of course the cause makes a difference. Most people use their heads as well as their ears and can forgive an ambulance siren while being infuriated by a similar-in-decibels car alarm.

Answer 2

It seems to me that if you are getting vibrations strong enough to make your floor vibrate, and you cannot hear the sound in air within the building, you should be able to also hear them in other parts of the building. Get yourself a piece of broomstick or such. Place one end on the walls, floors, ceiling etc., and gently press the flap at the front of your ear closed, against the other end of the stick. If vibration is the problem, you should hear it clearly. Don't forget to test the windows when shut, as if the source is via the air from another building, the window glass should sound louder. You could then try other parts of the building, and see if the vibration is also present throughout the building, which could indicate the source is through the ground. You don't live over a train subway, do you? They shake things.... Good quality vibration isolators could isolate your bed, if that is the only troublesome area of your life. Then adding masses to the bottom of the legs could further enhance the vibration damping.

Answer 3

it is detrmined by the people in the neighborhood example if you live on a block of 5 peeps and 3 of them think your radio is too loud you will get a tix. because majority thinks your being to loud! so if your noise level can be heard by others. it is too loud that's the save way to play it!