Municiple Code of Bridgewater Township

Chapter 142: NOISE

[HISTORY: Adopted by the of the Township Council of the Township of Bridgewater 7-19-2004 by Ord. No. 04-25. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 142-1. Definitions.

The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms not defined in this chapter have the same meaning as those defined in N.J.A.C. 7:29.

CONSTRUCTION — Any site preparation, assembly, erection, repair, alteration or similar action, including demolition of buildings or structures.
DEMOLITION — Any dismantling, destruction or removal of buildings, structures or roadways.
DEPARTMENT — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
EMERGENCY WORK — Any work or action necessary to deliver essential public services, including, but not limited to, repairing water, gas, electricity, telephone, sewer facilities or public transportation facilities, removing fallen trees on public rights-of-way, dredging navigational waterways or abating life-threatening conditions.
IMPULSIVE SOUND — Either a single pressure peak or a single burst (multiple pressure peaks) that has a duration of less than one second.
MOTOR VEHICLE — Any vehicle that is propelled other than by human or an power on land.
MUFFLER — A properly functioning sound-dissipative device or system for abating the sound of escaping gasses on equipment where such a device is part of the normal configuration of the equipment.
MULTIDWELLING UNIT BUILDING — Any building comprising two or more dwelling units, including, but not limited to, apartments, condominiums, co-ops, multiple-family houses, townhouses and attached residences.
MULTI-USE PROPERTY — Any distinct parcel of land that is used for more than one category of activity. Examples include, but are not limited to:
A. A commercial, residential, industrial or public service property having boilers, incinerators, elevators, automatic garage doors, air conditioners, laundry rooms, utility provisions or health and recreational facilities, or other similar devices or areas, either in the interior or on the exterior of the building, which may he a source of elevated sound levels at another category on the same distinct parcel of land; or
B. A building which is both commercial (usually on the ground floor) and residential property located above, behind, below or adjacent.
NOISE CONTROL OFFICER — An employee of a local, county or regional health agency which is certified pursuant to the County Environmental Health Act (N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq.) to perform noise enforcement activities; or a municipality with a Department-approved noise control ordinance and the employee has received noise enforcement training and is currently certified in noise enforcement. The employee must be acting within his or her designated jurisdiction and must be authorized to issue a summons in order to be considered a noise control officer.
PLAINLY AUDIBLE — Any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her unaided hearing facilities. As an example, if the sound source under investigation is a portable or personal vehicular sound-amplification or reproduction device, the detection of the rhythmic bass component of the music is sufficient to verify plainly audible sound. The noise control officer need not determine the title, specific words or the artist performing the song.
PRIVATE RIGHT-OF-WAY — Any street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, sidewalk, alley or easement that is owned, leased or controlled by a nongovernmental entity.
PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY — Any street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, sidewalk, alley or easement that is owned, leased or controlled by a governmental entity.
PUBLIC SPACE — Any real property or structures thereon that are owned, leased, or controlled by a governmental entity.
REAL PROPERTY LINE — Either:
A. The imaginary line, including its vertical extension, that separates one parcel of real property from another;
B. The vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit that is part of a multidwelling unit building; or
C. On a multi-use property, the interface between the two portions of the property on which different categories of activity are being performed (e.g., if the multi-use property is a building which is residential upstairs and commercial downstairs, then the real property line would be the interface between the residential area and the commercial area).
WEEKDAY — Any day that is not a federal holiday, and beginning on Monday at 7:00 a.m. and ending on the following Friday at 6:00 p.m.
WEEKENDS — Beginning on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and ending on the following Monday at 7:00 a.m.

§ 142-2. Applicability.

A. This chapter applies to sound from the following property categories:
(1) Industrial facilities;
(2) Commercial facilities;
(3) Public service facilities;
(4) Community service facilities;
(5) Residential properties;
(6) Multi-use properties;
(7) Public and private rights-of-way;
(8) Public spaces; and
(9) Multidwelling unit buildings.
B. This chapter applies to sound received at the following property categories:
(1) Commercial facilities;
(2) Public service facilities;
(3) Community service facilities;
(4) Residential properties;
(5) Multi-use properties; and
(6) Multidwelling unit buildings.
C. Sound from stationary emergency signaling devices shall be regulated in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.3, except that the testing of the electromechanical functioning of a stationary emergency signaling device shall not meet or exceed 10 seconds.

§ 142-3. Declaration of findings and policy.

A. Whereas, excessive sound is a serious hazard to the public health, welfare, safety and the quality of life; and whereas, a substantial body of science and technology exists by which excessive sound may be substantially abated; and whereas, the people have a right to, and should be ensured of an environment free from excessive sound; now, therefore, it is the policy of the Township of Bridgewater to prevent excessive sound that may jeopardize the health, welfare or safety of the citizens or degrade the quality of life.
B. This chapter shall apply to the control of sound originating from sources within the Township of Bridgewater.

§ 142-4. Noise control officers.

A. The provisions of this chapter shall he enforced by noise control officers. A person shall be qualified to be a noise control officer if the person meets the criteria set forth in the definition above and completes, at a frequency specified by the Department in N.J.A.C. 7:29-2.11, a noise certification course and recertification course which are offered by the Department of Environmental Sciences of Cook College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey or any other noise certification course or recertification course which is offered by an accredited university and approved by the Department.
B. Sound measurements made by a noise control officer shall conform to the procedures set forth in N.J.A.C. 7:29-2, except that interior sound level measurements shall also conform with the procedures set forth in § 142-5B and C of this regulation and with the definition of "real property line" as contained herein.
C. Noise control officers shall have the power to:
(1) Coordinate the noise control activities of all departments in the Township of Bridgewater and cooperate with all other public bodies and agencies to the extent practicable;
(2) Review the actions of the Township of Bridgewater and advise of the effect, if any, of such actions on noise control;
(3) Review public and private projects, subject to mandatory review or approval by other departments or boards, for compliance with this chapter;
(4) Investigate and pursue possible violations of this chapter for sound levels which equal or exceed the sound levels set forth in Tables I and II, when measured at a receiving property located within the designated jurisdiction of the noise control officer, in accordance with § 142-7 below; and
(5) Cooperate with noise control officers of adjacent municipalities in enforcing one another's municipal noise ordinances.

§ 142-5. Maximum permissible sound levels.

A. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in § 142-2A above in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound level limits set forth in Tables I and II Editor's Note: Table I and II are included at the end of this chapter. when measured at or within the real property line of any of the receiving properties listed in Tables I and II, except as specified in Subsection B below.
B. When measuring total sound or residual sound within a multi-use property, or within a residential unit when the property line between it and the source property is a common wall, all exterior doors and windows shall be closed and the measurements shall be taken in the center of the room most affected by the noise. Residual sound shall be measured in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:29-9(b)2. When measuring total sound or residual sound, all sound sources within the dwelling unit must be shut off (e.g., television, stereo). Measurements shall not be taken in areas which receive only casual use such as hallways, closets and bathrooms.
C. Indoor measurements shall only be taken if the sound source is on or within the same property as the receiving property, as in the case of a multi-use property (e.g., sound generated within a commercial unit of a multi-use property building and received within a residential unit of the same building) or multidwelling unit building. In addition, indoor measurements shall be taken if the property line between the receiving property and the source property is a common wall, such as in a multidwelling unit building. The allowable sound level standards for indoors are as shown in Tables I and II.
D. Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., impulsive sound shall not equal or exceed 80 decibels. Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., impulsive sound which occurs less than four times in any hour shall not equal or exceed 80 decibels. Impulsive sound which repeats four or more times in any hour shall be measured as impulsive sound and shall meet the requirements as shown in Table I.

§ 142-6. Restricted uses and activities.

A. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the exceptions listed at N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.4.
B. Construction and demolition activities are exempt from the sound level limits set forth in Tables I and II. These activities are regulated under separate municipal ordinance.

§ 142-7. Enforcement; violations and penalties.

A. Violation of any provision of this chapter shall be cause for an enforcement document to be issued to the violator by the noise control officer according to procedures set forth at N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.6. The recipient of such an enforcement document shall be entitled to a hearing in Municipal Court having jurisdiction to contest such action.
B. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty for each offense of not more than $3,000. If the violation is of a continuing nature, each day during which it occurs shall constitute an additional, separate and distinct violation.
C. No provision of this chapter shall be construed to impair any common law or statutory cause of action, or legal remedy therefrom, of any person for injury or damage arising from any violation of this chapter or from other law.

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