Does anyone know about Noise pollution laws?
I mean can my neighbor scream at me to turn my radio down at 3:30 in the afternoon.

It wasn't even that loud, just my computer speakers, which are 2 2" speakers and a sub. I could understand if I was blasting the 9 piece surround sound system with 2 subs down stairs. . . but my computer? I mean shit. And our walls arent' thin, its condominium walls, they've got a firewall which I imagine doesn't conduct sound too well. Maybe I'm wrong, but the point is. . . its 3:30 in the fucking after?! Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I would turn down the stereo if she wasn't being stupid about it. All she has to do is ask. And I could understand if it were like, dark outside or my room were near any sort of bedroom in her house, but its not, its next to a stairwell and part of a bathroom (assuming that all the condos are built the same, which I'm pretty sure they are) and my sub is as far away from her walls as possible.

Any Ideas?

Are there still laws against killing your neighbors and feeding them to your pets?

If so, damned the moralists!

Must still be pissed abuot new years.

I wish I could help. I don't think that there is much your neighbor can do though. Have they called the cops on you yet? If so what did they say?

Well, the obvious answer would be "Go talk to her about it in a calm and rational manner".

Well, obvious to me, anyway.

No, I don't think there's any legal basis to force you to turn your stereo down at 3:30 in the afternoon, unless it's as loud as, say, an airplane taking off.

No cops yet fortunately. I wouldn't put it past her, she gets really pissed and is just generally rude to us. We've tried talking to her on the phone, she won't answer if I call her. But yeah I think talking to her is probably what I'll do . . . just don't want to because she's always such an asshole about it. But what am I going to say? "I like listening to my music loud at 3 in the afternoon when I'm cleaning. Fuck off, calmly." But I turned it down after she started screaming "Turn the fucking stereo down!" in my front yard. Of course she tried calling before that, but I couldn't hear the phone, or the doorbell when it rang, or her banging on the door. But I was sitting right next to my speakers. I can't hear the doorbell when there's no sound in the house if I'm upstairs though, its pretty lame. Same with the Door banging. . . the house just absorbs sound, part of the reason I'm confused, because I can't hear the stereo downstairs with my door open. I dunno.

I suggest calling the police dept.(from a payphone, of course) and asking them. Tell them the situation and see what they say the laws are.

Nowadays most cities have a decibel limit, before it's considered loud enough to be "disturbing the peace." Rarely is it enforced, and most of ther time the limit is near the point where the noise can become damaging to the inner ear. I'm pretty sure your golden when it comes to the law, however I'd worry more about your landlord recieving complaints if I were you. They can evict ya for dat shyat.
Just trying to help

You said you had a sub. Bass travels like hell through almost anything. What sounds normal to you could actually be amplifed by a wall that happens to resonate just the right way. Not to say your neighbor couldn't be cooler about it, just the perspective of an audio geek.

Mr Clock wrote:You said you had a sub. Bass travels like hell through almost anything. What sounds normal to you could actually be amplifed by a wall that happens to resonate just the right way. Not to say your neighbor couldn't be cooler about it, just the perspective of an audio geek.

Yeah what he said. Ohh.. and Welcome to the board new person.

The local library may also have a copy of the local codes, since those will be the pertinent ones applying. Or potentially metro gov't may be able to give you some info. Possibly there are time limits on the enforcement.

Also, I'd recommend with whoever you contact, to get the exact wording of the statute and a copy if at all possible. An interpretation is all well and good, but interpretations change, and one can always argue better with a statute.

..then just use a silencer.

Mr Clock wrote:You said you had a sub. Bass travels like hell through almost anything. What sounds normal to you could actually be amplifed by a wall that happens to resonate just the right way. Not to say your neighbor couldn't be cooler about it, just the perspective of an audio geek.

I agree with Mr Clock. You probably don't realize how loud and annoying your music sounds next door. You probably have no idea. I had to live on the receiving end of someone who had "small stereo speakers." It was hell.

Yeah - I would just do "the nice thing" and turn it down anyway. Having been subjected to neighbors listening to bad music with loud bass has made me vow to never torture anyone else with my weird musical tastes.

Besides which, if the music is so loud you can't hear your phone, doorbell, or someone physically pounding on your door, you should probably turn it down simply for your own sake, so you don't miss an important call or visitation.

And ditto that about bass traveling. It's actually much more annoying to hear nothing but the bass of someone's music.

When you get right down to it, it's just music, and the right to listen to it very loud isn't really worth the right to not have angry neighbors. Live in peace, I say.

In the city of knoxville, this is your answer as to what is legal:

Sec. 18-3.  Standards.

(a)     No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit sound from any source which, when measured from the real property boundary of the source of the sound, is in excess of the following standards:

(1)     Residential use.

a.     When the offending sound emanates from a residential use between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight, sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 65 dB(A), or impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A).

b.     When the offending sound emanates from a residential use between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m., sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 60 dB(A), or impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A).

(2)     Commercial use.

a.     When the offending sound emanates from a commercial use between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight, sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A), or impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A).

b.     When the offending sound emanates from a commercial use between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m., sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 75 dB(A), or impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A).

(3)     Industrial use. When the offending sound emanates from an industrial use, continuous or impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A).

(b)     No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit from any source within a public premise any airborne sound which, when measured from the source of the sound, has an A-weighted sound pressure level in excess of 65 dB(A), or any impulsive sound which has an A-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(A). This subsection shall not apply to legitimate government operations.

(c)     Sound, whether continuous or impulsive, shall be measured at approximately five (5) feet above grade, using a slow meter response setting and using a wind screen when appropriate.

(Ord. No. O-507-98, § 1, 10-6-98)

Vader, you're tho thmart!

Yeah what he said. Ohh.. and Welcome to the board new person.[/quote]

Thanks. I just THOUGHT I could slip my first post in there without being noticed.

--new person

I could lend you some PA speakers so you could show them what loud is. They'll never bitch about yer pc speakers again!

Mr Clock wrote:I could lend you some PA speakers so you could show them what loud is. They'll never bitch about yer pc speakers again!

Greetings! ... got th' time?

Not to defend your neighbors attitude, but a reminder (being one of these kind of people) 3:30 in the afternoon may be the middle o day for you but for some of us that is our night time and thusly sleep time.
I have had to confront a previous neighbor when I use to live in a n apartment about their practacing their guitar (badly) at 11 on their amp. this happening about 10 in the morning when I was JUST getting to sleep. Once discussing the situation they were understanding and put off practice time till early evening or at least turned it WAY down during the day (them seeing me practice my wepons kata in the courtyard may have helped that a bit though )
Sound waves travel in funny ways and yes Bass travels through and resonates walls. When my band reherses in my house you can sometimes hear the bass frequencys 5 houses down the street even though it is at a comfortable level directly in front of the PA in the living room.
If you TRUELY feel you are in right and want to test your levels vs the law I own a Decibal Level Meter and would be happy to test sound levels of your stereo.

Anybody have a db measuring device?

We don't have a Landlord, my room mate owns.

I do realize the abilities of Bass to pass through things, but I've been in her house before when we had our big stereo on and it was a barely noticable throb, and thats with 2 subs that are both at least twice as loud and large as my computer one.

But I'm over it, I don't usually listen to music that loud anyways, just when I'm cleaning or depressed and usually I'm depressed because my room is so messy and I cleaned it. She's being stoopid, though and I'd like to post a photocopy of some legal stuff on her door with a DB measuring from inside my house.

Its unimportant anyways because I punched her in the face and told her to get a life. Now she's my girlfriend and I do her in the butt.