Decatur Commission to vote on new noise ordinance Sept. 16, limiting lawn equipment use times

DECATUR, Ga. — After surveying city residents on noise complaints in Decatur, the City Commission is exploring ways to limit the buzz.

According to a presentation from Decatur officials on Sept. 4, the number one nuisance noise maker in the city is lawn equipment. Now, city leaders are considering changes to the city code to dampen the sound problem.

Despite the comments at the most recent city commission meeting, the survey found that the most noise-related calls to police for the past nearly five years were construction near commercial businesses.

The survey among residents said that complaints were highest among so-called nuisance calls and music or party-related noise complaints.

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However, residents who provided comments to the city commission said their biggest issues were lawn maintenance, which officials said were consistently “the most frequently-mentioned issue,” followed by traffic and loud vehicles, particularly garage pickups in the downtown parts of Decatur.

Now, the new ordinance could limit when and how loud different disruptive sounds can be produced, whether it be construction activity, outdoor events and yes, even mowing your lawn or blowing the leaves.

As proposed at the latest commission meeting, the noise issues could be handled by a revised noise ordinance. The city said there was already one in place, but residents may not know about it.

According to the plan, the commission would revise the noise ordinance to address lawn maintenance specifically, limiting when you can run your equipment and establishing daytime noise limits for residential areas.

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Additionally, the revised version of the noise rules would clarify what activities are exempted from the limits, and remove parts of the city code that would conflict with the changes.

The city would also undertake a communications campaign to ensure more people knew what the noise ordinance was, and covers. Officials would also purchase sound level meters to help with noise enforcement.

In a preview of part of the ordinance, the city said they’d be defining “lawn maintenance equipment” as its own specific type of noise.

That definition was written as “Landscape maintenance equipment. The use of commercial or industrial power tools used for landscaping and yard maintenance before the hour of 7:00 a.m. and after the hour of 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and before the hour of 9:00 a.m. and after the hour of 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The term “landscape maintenance equipment” includes, but is not limited to, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, weed-whackers or chainsaws.”

The city would also set a new schedule for different sound levels based on what type of zone the sounds are occurring in, whether that’s industrial, residential or parks, among other zones.

If the ordinance revision is approved, Decatur would buy four new sound meters for each patrol. Costs would range between $300 and $700 per unit, based on type and manufacturer.

Planning documents from the Decatur City Commission show it’ll be on the commission agenda for consideration on Sept. 16. If passed, it would take effect in early 2025, following an awareness campaign.

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