By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Work continues on developing a noise ordinance to address loud vehicular traffic and stereo noise in downtown Howell.

Police Chief Scott Mannor, the city attorney and staff have been looking into what’s feasible and what’s enforceable after getting complaints from homeowners and business owners. The City of Ypsilanti has an ordinance that states if a sound system can be heard from 50 feet away, then it is an enforceable violation. Chief Mannor previously said they’re looking at adopting that or adding that language to the City’s current noise ordinance. Any ordinance would apply to the entire City.

The topic wasn’t on the agenda at Monday night’s virtual City Council meeting but one resident spoke during call to the public to inquire about the noise ordinance and raise concerns. He commented that some cars are louder than others and some are obnoxiously louder but really didn’t see how anything could be enforced on a regular basis with moving traffic.

City Manager Paul DeBuff commented that’s always an important concern with any ordinance and they want to make sure the can actually enforce something or else it’s not really a law. He said an ordinance is still being formulated and the Ypsilanti ordinance could be updated to meet the City’s needs. DeBuff said any ordinance would be primarily aimed at vehicular traffic downtown, as the City already has a noise ordinance that addresses things like loud parties and nuisances in different ways. He said there are two ways to regulate traffic noise downtown – by using a decibel meter which is harder to enforce or using a distance measurement to determine if sound can be heard from a particular distance. DeBuff said the latter is what the City is looking at to see what’s actually enforceable and what police could use in practical reality for enforcement.

It was stated that any proposed ordinance would likely be brought before Council sometime in January or February. Photo: Google Street View.