I remember lying in bed and listening to our familiar Saturday morning alarm clock. It was the high-pitched drone of a leaf blower next door that began like clockwork at 7am. This is how we knew some neighbors of yore had come out again to the Hamptons for the weekend. Their children were generally pretty friendly. But there was just something about the owner, who would seem to derive a kind of masochistic pleasure in making as much noise as he could at 7am on Saturday mornings. I would not be surprised if he had intentionally purchased the loudest and most annoying gas leaf blower on the market.
The only time my wife and I had complained to the authorities about noise was last year, when a nearby party house crowd repeatedly made noise beginning at 4am. We called once and, after the police came and talked to them, they quieted down only for about 20 minutes. We called again and, this time, it was toned down for the remainder of the night, though still audible a few houses away. This particular party house rented to different groups each weekend. You could tell by the vastly different music and laughter.
The party house was most likely illegal for a number of reasons. Firstly, a house was supposed to be rented out for a minimum of one month last year, according to the Southampton NY codes at the time (now it is a 2 week minimum). So far this year, we haven’t noticed this party house problem. Newsday published how the maximum fine for rental violations was increased from $8,000 to $30,000 in May. That might have something to do with it. Secondly, there are actually laws about making a ruckus at 4am.
The issue of noise pollution comes up more frequently in a vacation area, such as the Hamptons, especially as gas-powered leaf blowers become more ubiquitous. Usually, the tendency is to just try our best to ignore it. The Noise Free Organization put the issue in this perspective:
“If a person throws any of his garbage into a neighbor’s yard, most communities are quick to respond. If a person throws a lot of his acoustical garbage (noise) into a neighbor’s yard, most
communities are very slow to respond. …the preamble of the US Constitution states “….to ensure the domestic Tranquility…”.
It’s hard to find the balance between common sense noise control and excessive bureaucracy. Do you think the following list mandate that they recommend is a good idea?
“The NCO is required to make a list of products that do not exceed 65 dB(A) at 50 feet and a list of products that do not exceed 70 dB(A) at 50feet. If the leaf blower is not on the list, the product is in violation, or must be tested.”
The following are some domestic noise decibel lists for comparison:
House and Garden
Leaf blower…………….103 dBA
Gasoline-powered blower….up to 110 – 112 dBA
Chain saw………………up to 116 dBA (during cutting)
91 – 98 dBA @ idle
Mower………………….95 – 120 dBA
Power saw………………95 – 115 dBA
Router…………………85 – 110 dBA
Food blender……………88 dBA
Vacuum cleaner………….74 dBA
Average home interior……50 dBA
also listed…
Miscellaneous Other
Toy pistols…………….150 – 160 dB PSPL
Jazzercize class………..90 – 92 dBA
Apollo liftoff………….188 dBA
The Village of Southampton website offers some very specific noise ordinances.
Village of Southampton, NY NOISE – eCode360 (Chapter 77 Noise)
The maximum decibel allowances (dB), are outlined for specific frequency zones. In other words, there isn’t a one-size-fits all maximum decibel allowance. Rather, the decibel allowance is different for different frequencies.
If you operate noisy garden tools and equipment, there’s a good chance this is harming your hearing. The tinnitustreatment.net website outlines the dangers.
I’d like to point out that Warren’s Nursery landscaping services in Water Mill makes it a point NOT to begin landscape work early on weekend mornings, for the reasons outlined in this post.
Tags: Noise ordinances in the Hamptons, Noise laws in Southampton NY, Angry neighbors, noisy neighbors, fines for noise violations in Hamptons
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