Orange Beach Council Took Up Overhaul of Noise Rules, Citing Late-Night Complaints
At its June 2 meeting, the City Council gave a first reading to an ordinance that would replace the city's noise rules with an expanded code — one that cites a rising number of complaints "especially at night" and federal findings linking noise to health problems. As of mid-June the measure has not returned for a final vote.
The Orange Beach City Council took up a comprehensive rewrite of the city's noise rules on first reading at its regular meeting Tuesday, June 2, introducing an ordinance that would replace Chapter 30, Article III of the Code of Ordinances — the section titled "Noise" — with an expanded framework, according to the draft ordinance in the meeting packet.
Draft ordinance rewriting Chapter 30, Article III, "Noise," of the city code — June 2 meeting packet.
The draft opens with a set of legislative findings laying out why the city says new rules are needed. It describes Orange Beach as "a resort island community that attracts thousands of visitors each year," with a tourism economy that supports restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues and "an active nightlife with music, dancing and dining." Against that backdrop, the findings state, "in recent years there have been an increasing number of complaints from both tourists and residents about excessive noise, especially at night."
The draft also cites health research. It notes that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "has found that there are direct links between noise and health," and lists stress-related illness, high blood pressure, sleep disruption and noise-induced hearing loss among the effects of sustained or high noise levels.
A purpose section frames the ordinance as an attempt to strike a balance. Its stated aim is to "reduce, control and prevent loud and raucous noise" that "unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety" of people who "live, work, visit, or play" in the city — while acknowledging that "certain short-term easing of noise restrictions is appropriate and necessary for the physical and commercial vitality of Orange Beach."
Definitions in the draft ordinance, including "noise disturbance," "entertainment district" and "outdoor music venue" — June 2 meeting packet.
Much of the draft is devoted to definitions that would give the rules their structure. It defines a "noise disturbance" as "any extraordinary noise which annoys or disturbs humans" or that injures the health of people or animals or "annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." It adds defined terms such as "entertainment district," "outdoor music venue," "neighborhood residual sound level" and "noise sensitive zone" — categories that typically let a city set different standards in different places and at different times of day.
A first reading is the formal introduction of an ordinance. Under the council's standard process, ordinances are generally considered at more than one meeting before a final vote, so the June 2 reading does not by itself put the new rules into effect. As of mid-June, the city has not published minutes for the June 2 meeting — they are set to be approved at the council's next meeting — and the noise ordinance does not appear on the agenda for that meeting, the June 16 Committee of the Whole, indicating a final vote has not yet been scheduled.
The June 2 regular meeting began at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.