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Davis Municipal Code Chapter 24

NOISE REGULATIONS

24.01.020 Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise clearly indicates, the words and phrases used in this chapter are defined as follows:

<dl> <dt> (a)"City manager"</dt><dd>

means the city manager for the city of Davis, California, or his/her representative or designee.

</dd> <dt> (b)"Director of public works"</dt><dd>

means public works director for the city of Davis, California, or his/her representative or designee.

</dd> <dt> (c)"Emergency"</dt><dd>

means efforts necessary to preserve or restore property to a safe condition following a public calamity, or to protect persons or property from an imminent exposure to danger, or work by private or public utilities when restoring utility services.

</dd> <dt> (d)"Holiday"</dt><dd>

means any day established as such by federal, state, or local government.

</dd> <dt> (e)"Noise"</dt><dd>

means unwanted sound.

</dd> <dt> (f)"Noise level"</dt><dd>

means the maximum continuous sound level or repetitive peak level produced by a sound source or group of sources as measured with a Type S2A or better sound level meter using the "A" switch weighing scale, and the meter response function set to "SLOW."

</dd> <dt> (g)"Person"</dt><dd>

means a person, firm, association, copartnership, joint venture, corporation, or entity, public or private in nature, including any city, county, district or other public agency.

</dd> <dt> (h)"Police chief"</dt><dd>

means the chief of police for the city of Davis, California, or his/her representative or designee.

</dd> <dt> (i)"Powered blower"</dt><dd>

means any equipment or device used, designed or operated to produce a current of air to push, propel or blow cuttings, leaves, refuse or debris.

</dd> <dt> (j)"Precision sound meter"</dt><dd>

means a device for measuring sound level in decibel units within the performance specifications in the American National Standards Institute Standards S1.4, Specification of Sound Level Meters.

</dd> <dt> (k)"Property plane"</dt><dd>

means a vertical plane including the property line which determines the property boundaries in space. When the term "property line" is used in this chapter, it refers to the property plane. For implementation of noise regulations, the property plane used for conducting noise measures is the property plane of the noise source.

</dd> <dt> (l)"School"</dt><dd>

means the Davis Joint Unified School District and any other public or private school licensed as a school by the state of California.

</dd> <dt> (m) "Sound amplifying equipment"</dt><dd>

means any machine or device for the acoustical or electronic amplification of the human voice, music or any other sound, or by which the human voice, music or any other sound is amplified. Sound amplifying equipment, as used in this chapter, shall not include vehicle radios, CD's, and/or tape players when used and heard only by the occupants of the vehicles in which the vehicle radio, CD, and/or tape player is installed. Sound amplifying equipment, as used in this chapter, shall not include warning devices on authorized emergency vehicles or horns or other warning devices on any vehicle used for traffic safety purposes.

</dd> <dt> (n)"Sound level"</dt><dd>

expressed in decibels (dB), means a logarithmic indication of the ratio between the acoustic energy present at a given location and the lowest amount of acoustic energy audible to sensitive human ears and weighted by frequency to account for characteristics of human hearing, as given in the American National Standards Institute Standard S1.1, Acoustic Terminology, Paragraph 2.9, or successor references. All references to dB in this chapter utilize the A-level weighing scale, abbreviated dBA, measured as set forth in this section.

</dd> <dt> (o)"Sound truck"</dt><dd>

means any motor vehicle, or any other vehicle regardless of motor power, whether in motion or stationary, having mounted thereon, or attached thereto, any sound amplifying equipment with the intent to amplify sound outside the vehicle.

</dd> <dt> (p)"Type S2A or better sound level meter"</dt><dd>

means a device for measuring sound level in decibel units within the performance specifications in the American National Standards Institute S1.4, Specification for Sound Level Meters. (Ord. No. 1700, § 1 (part); Ord. No. 1854, § 1; Ord. No. 1955 (part).)

</dd> </dl>