A. 
No person shall allow any sound, or cause any sound under the direction and control of such person, to project from one parcel of real property onto or into another parcel of real property, if such sound exceeds any of the following:
(1) 
The equivalent A-weighted sound level spectra established in Table I below, measured over a one-minute period of time.
(2) 
The equivalent A-weighted ambient sound level measured over a fifteen-minute period of time by more than 10 dB(A).
(3) 
Any dB(A) level, measured on the fast response side of an A-weighted sound level meter, that exceeds the equivalent A-weighted sound level spectra allowed in the district by 20 dB(A) for more than three times in a one-hour period of time.
B. 
No person shall project any sound from one use district into another use district with a different sound level, which exceeds the sound level limitations of the district into which the sound is projected in violation of the limitations established in Subsection A hereof.
C. 
A measurement of sound shall be made with an A-weighted sound level meter. The instrument shall be maintained in proper calibration and good working order in compliance with the manufacturer's or supplier's recommendations or requirements. A calibration test shall be made at the time of any such measurement to ensure that the instrument is in proper working order. Measurements shall be taken so as to provide an accurate determination of the sound level being measured, and the microphone shall be positioned so as to avoid any enhancement or diminution of the sound being measured. A windscreen shall be used when necessary, and no measurements shall be made when the wind speed is in excess of 25 miles per hour.
D. 
The measurement shall be made at any point on a property line of the parcel of real property which is the receiving land use. The microphone shall be placed at a height of five feet just above the surface of the point at which the measurement is being made, except where the sound source is elevated or situated so that a different elevation for the sound level meter will provide a more accurate measurement.
E. 
The equivalent A-weighted sound level spectra referred to in Subsection A hereof are as follows:
Table I
Limiting Sound Levels for Zoning Districts
(as measured in the district receiving the sound)
Residential
Commercial
Industrial
November 1 to April 30:
9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
65
72
80
7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
75
77
85
May 1 to October 30:
9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
65
72
80
7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
75
77
80
The following uses and activities shall be exempt from noise level regulations:
A. 
The sound of safety signals and warning devices;
B. 
Sounds resulting from any authorized vehicle, when responding to an emergency;
C. 
Sounds resulting from the provision of municipal services;
D. 
Any sound resulting from activities of a temporary duration that are permitted by law;
E. 
The unamplified human voice, except as specified in § 451-18E;
F. 
Parades and public gatherings for which a permit has been issued pursuant to this Code of the City of Monroe;
G. 
Bells, chimes and carillons, while being used for religious purposes or in conjunction with religious services or for national celebrations or public holidays, as well as those bells, chimes and carillons that are presently installed and in use for any purpose; and
H. 
Sounds resulting from emergency work.
The following uses and activities shall be exempt from noise level regulations:
A. 
Lawn maintenance equipment when it functions within the manufacturer's specifications and with all mufflers and noise-reducing equipment in use and in properly operating condition between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
B. 
Nonamplified crowd noises resulting from activities, such as those planned by community agencies, governmental groups, schools and day-care centers.
C. 
Construction noises, when the construction is carried out pursuant to a valid building permit issued by the City, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., excluding Sundays and legal holidays and subject to § 451-13.
D. 
Construction noises resulting from the performance of a contract with the City.
Any aircraft operated in conformity with, or pursuant to, federal law, federal air regulations and air traffic control instruction used pursuant to and within the duly adopted federal air regulations shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter. Any aircraft operating under technical difficulties, in any kind of distress, under emergency orders of air traffic control or pursuant to and subsequent to the declaration of an emergency under federal air regulations, shall also be exempt from this chapter.
All rail cars and locomotives and all motor carriers engaged in interstate commerce shall, while engaged in such operations in the City, conform to the noise emission levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Federal Noise Control Act of 1972, being P.L. 92-574, 86 Stat. 1234. Measurement of such sounds shall be in accordance with the requirements of applicable federal regulations.