Sounding off on off-campus noise ordinances
By Hannah Drown, Staff Writer
March 3, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Living in a college town like Athens, many students have a tough time dealing with their noisy neighbors. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out where to go or who to call if their rowdiness is getting out of hand.
The Athens Police Department (APD) is just that place. From 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. on any day of the week, APD is sure to get a few calls from Athens residents with boisterous neighbors. “Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, there’s probably a half a dozen or more,” APD Officer Randy Gray said.
Samantha Maynard, an Ohio University student living off-campus, said she has called the police to complain of neighbors' noise.
“It was like one in the morning," Maynard said. "That’s the only time ... They came and asked them to be quiet and let them know it was past the noise ordinance time."
Another source of information and sanctions can be a landlord. “Some landlords will work with you, and some will say that’s a fact of living in an apartment,” Gray said.
Landlords, if willing, may be able to offer penalties that APD doesn’t have the jurisdiction to enforce. “We usually send a friendly e-mail asking to turn [the noise] down because there’s been a complaint," said Debbie Allen, an employee at L'Heureux Properties. "If we have to send a break of lease we will.”
However, being woken up by a neighbor's basketball dribbling in the middle of the afternoon doesn't warrant a visit from the police. “We have to apply a little bit of discretion as to what’s reasonable and what’s not,” Gray said.
Many times it’s about reasoning between neighbors. “A lot of the ones we go on, yeah it might be irritating to the neighbor, but it’s not a noise that’s in violation,” Gray said. “There’s some balance between a person’s right to live in a totally silent world, and a next-door neighbor's right to actually live their life.”
The hours that APD can enforce the noise ordinance have recently changed. It is now 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. “The ordinance speaks to 50 feet from the property line, or 50 feet from the source of the noise," Gray said. "If it’s plainly audible, that’s usually too loud."
The sanctions handed out are very subjective depending on each individual case and circumstance. “What we do is we go generally give a warning first, and if we get a subsequent complaint then we write a citation,” Gray said. “It’s a minor misdemeanor citation and they have to appear in court on it. The judge decides what happens after that. There’s usually a fine that goes with it.”
With APD receiving a couple calls each week night and about 6 or more on the weekends, many students do use them as an effective resource. “I was happy with how they handled it," Maynard said. "I think they did a good job."
Both Allen and Gray agree that neighbors should at least try to work it out among themselves. “If you’re civil, try to talk to them," Allen said. "Most can cooperate with each other"
"Talk to your neighbors," Gray said. "Try to work it out, especially if you got a sleep schedule or a study schedule. I think in most cases, everybody will get along and try to accommodate each other.”
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