REGION: Supervisors approve new noise law

Off-road vehicles face new sound restrictions

By EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 6:08 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- The Board of Supervisors tentatively approved a new noise ordinance Wednesday that some off-road enthusiasts said unfairly singles them out by placing strict limits on the noise their vehicles can make.

Some backcountry residents countered that the rules were not strict enough.

But the supervisors said the ordinance struck a good balance. The board voted 4-0 to approve the measure, with Supervisor Ron Roberts absent.

The ordinance will cover the unincorporated areas of the county, which includes much of rural North and East County. It excludes the region's 18 cities.

Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district includes Ramona, said she has heard many complaints from people about off-road vehicle noise.

Jacob said that because the ordinance takes into account state and federal vehicle noise standards, off-road vehicles should not have a problem meeting the county's noise limits, as long as the vehicles are not illegally modified.

"This may not be perfect, but I think the fact that the limitations are consistent with current laws ... then there should not be a problem with the off-road vehicles," Jacob said.

County officials said the current noise ordinance was outdated, difficult to enforce and needed to be changed.

The new ordinance will take effect Jan. 9, or 30 days after a formal second vote is taken by supervisors on Dec. 10.

The new law establishes noise levels in residential, commercial, agricultural areas and construction sites. It also creates new standards for measuring those sounds.

During the day, off-road vehicles such as dune buggies, dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles would have to be no louder than 82 decibels. Eighty-two decibels is sometimes described as the sound of a loud conversation between two people.

In the evening, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., the ordinance limits off-road vehicle noise to 77 decibels, and to 55 decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The 82-decibel limit is similar to state law, which requires that off-road vehicles built after 1986 limit their noise to 82 decibels when measured at 50 feet away. A typical lawn mower produces a sound of about 90 decibels.

The county's new ordinance also allows code enforcement officers to take a snapshot reading of sound, known in the industry as an Lmax measurement, rather than an Leq measurement, which requires measuring sound for an hour.

The Lmax measurement would be more practical and would help eliminate loud, but infrequent sounds, county officials said.

One opponent of the ordinance said he would like to see stricter noise limits. Jack Phillips, chairman of the Valle Del Oro Community Planning Group, said he would prefer the maximum noise level be lowered to 50 decibels.

"Keep in mind that 75 to 80 decibels is considered very loud noise, equivalent to heavy traffic on a busy street, and this could be in your side yard or rear yard under this ordinance," Phillips said.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.