ST. GEORGE — The Rockville noise and nuisance ordinance now has a bit more bite to be enforceable after the Town Council approved revisions.
Some residents complained about recurring loud parties in the area at a public hearing held by the planning commission on July 12, and the council adopted its recommendations on July 13.
Rockville’s updated noise ordinance states anyone who violates it will be fined $100 for the first hour and $50 for each additional quarter-hour if not in compliance. Uncharacteristic noises typically not heard in town falls under the new town code. This can range from loud music to shouting, fighting and recreational shooting.
“It was agreed that the revised ordinance would give the town better guidelines for the ordinance and the ability for law enforcement to cite violators,” Rockville Mayor Pam Leach said. “The overall public reaction to the revision was supportive.”
The amended ordinance will limit nighttime noise levels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sound is limited to 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA), which is comparable to a quiet conversation. The revised code would restrict noise levels between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 60 dBA or less and daytime noises to 90 dBA or less.
In the past, Springdale Police would end up responding to noise complaints since Rockville doesn’t have its own police department. And the previous noise ordnance had no teeth.
“Law enforcement could be called to go out and check something out, but all they could do would be to ask people to please quiet down,” Leach said. “But if they chose not to, there was nothing more that they could do.”
The reported noise complaints have come from all over town, not just in the properties of the vacation rental zone the town created in 2018.
“These are issues that have cropped up at different times in numerous places in town,” Leach said. “There are places where there has been noise, but it’s not in one specific place. You can go out further towards Grafton and there’s been a lot of parties. There have been a few occasions in Rockville where there have been some incidents of louder than necessary parties.”
Local longtime resident Michael Behling agreed that the noise problems are happening all over Rockville and that the vacation rental zone is the loudest. The area covers west Rockville between state Route 9 and the south side of the Virgin River. A few businesses often host large groups of people for family reunions, corporate retreats and weddings.
“Loud uncontrolled noise is impacting many residents of Rockville,” Behling said in a letter to the planning commission. “The current noise ordinance relating to creating a nuisance is totally subjective and not based on science. It leaves out long periods where noise can occur at unlimited levels, fails to define loud noise, and is up to the evaluator on what is considered excessive. The current ordinance does not deter individuals who would come to our area to become violent and create mayhem.”
Behling added that recent parties often start at about 8 p.m. and finish by 10:30 p.m. Some have even lasted until 3 a.m. He said that there was yelling, screaming and a loud level of bass in the music during these events.
Behling measured sound levels and conducted at least 1,000 noise surveys during his career. Considered an expert in noise assessment and its control, he worked as an industrial hygienist for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Energy and Department of Defense. He said it is common to measure levels at 105 dBA at the source, which can cause permanent hearing loss in one hour.
In an email sent to St. George News on Tuesday, Behling said a DJ party with yelling and screaming was held next to his home in Rockville last Friday.
“I measured five dBA over (the sound new ordinance) from 8 to 10 p.m. standard of 60. And two dBA over from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. standard of 50 and I’m 600 ft away,” Behling said. “No complaints were filed as equipment and procedures are not in place yet.”
All Town Council members voted in favor of the updated noise ordinance changes except Dan McGuire, who abstained.
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