This article shall apply to the control of all sound originating
within the limits of Caln Township.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated herein:
CONSTRUCTION
Any site preparation, assembly, erection, repair, alteration
or similar action, including demolition of buildings or structures.
CONTIGUOUS LAND USE
Any land use bordering or abutting, whether divided by real
property boundary or by real property boundary and public street.
CONTINUOUS SOUND
Any sound which is static, fluctuating or intermittent with
a recurrence greater than one time in any fifteen-second interval.
DECIBEL (DB)
A numerical expression of the relative loudness of a sound.
DEMOLITION
Any dismantling, destruction, or removal of buildings, structures
or roadways.
EMERGENCY
Any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or
imminent physical trauma or property damage which demands immediate
action.
IMPULSIVE SOUND
Sound of short duration with an abrupt onset and rapid decay
and an occurrence of not more than one time in any fifteen-second
interval.
LAND USE
The actual real use of land and buildings thereon situated
regardless of the zoning or other classification attributed to such
land and buildings.
MOTOR VEHICLE
A vehicle which is self-propelled except for one which is
propelled solely by human power or by electric power obtained from
overhead trolley wires.
NOISE
Any sound which annoys or disturbs humans or which causes
or tends to cause an adverse psychological or physiological effect
on humans.
PLAINLY AUDIBLE SOUND
Any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her
unaided hearing facilities.
PURE TONE
Any sound which can be distinctly heard as a single pitch
or a set of single pitches. For the purposes of this article, a pure
tone shall exist if the 1/3 octave band sound pressure level in the
band with the tone exceeds the arithmetric average of the sound pressure
levels of the two contiguous 1/3 octave bands by five dB for center
frequencies of 500 Hz and above, by eight dB for center frequencies
between 160 Hz and 400 Hz and by 15 dB for center frequencies less
than or equal to 125 Hz.
SOUND
An oscillation in pressure, particle displacement, particle
velocity or other physical parameter in a medium with internal forces
that causes compression and rarefaction of that medium. The description
of sound may include any characteristic of such sound, including duration,
intensity and frequency.
SOUND DISSIPATIVE DEVICE
A noise control device intended to abate or lessen the noise
made by vehicles, equipment or machinery.
SOUND LEVEL
The weighted sound pressure level obtained by the use of
a sound level meter and frequency weighting network, such as A, B
or C as specified in American National Standards Institute specifications
for sound level meters (ANSI SI.4-1971, or the latest approved revision
thereof). If the frequency weighting employed is not indicated, the
A-weighting shall apply.
SOUND LEVEL METER
An instrument which includes a microphone, amplifier, RMS
detector, integrator or time averager, output meter and weighting
networks used to measure sound pressure levels. The sound level meter
used for testing purposes in accordance with this article shall meet
the current American National Standard Institute specifications.
The Caln Township Zoning Officer shall have the power to administer the terms of this article, to investigate complaints and prosecute violations of this article in accordance with Article
XIII of this Chapter. When enforcing the terms of this article, the Zoning Officer may retain consultants and engineers with experience in measuring sound levels with the use of sound level meters.
The following noises are exempted from the provisions set forth in §
155-185 of this article:
A. Blasting, only if performed in accordance with a permit issued by
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Such blasting
may occur only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday, unless specifically authorized at different times
by the DEP permit.
B. Alarms or other devices used for the purpose of alerting people to
the existence of an actual emergency or devices such as a horn or
siren installed in a motor vehicle and used to warn persons of an
imminent danger.
C. Emergency work to provide electricity, water or other public utilities
or restore essential public services, including construction activities
directly related to the abatement of an emergency.
D. Authorized emergency vehicles responding to an emergency.
E. A snow plow, snow blower or other similar device used to remove snow
or ice in operation.
F. Work or activities performed or sponsored by schools and governmental
agencies or their contractors in the performance of public service.
G. Noises made by bells, chimes, carillons used for religious purposes
or in conjunction with national celebrations or public holidays; existing
bells, chimes and carillons and clock strike mechanisms that are currently
in use for any purpose.
H. Motor vehicle operations shall not exceed the noise levels established
in Chapter 157 of Title 67 of the Pennsylvania Code of Regulations,
Subchapter B, Established Sound Levels.