As used in this article, the following terms shall
have the meanings indicated:
A-WEIGHTED SOUND LEVEL
The sound pressure level in decibels as measured on a sound
level meter using the A-Weighting Network as specified in the American
National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters
(ANSI as 14-1971, or the latest approved revision thereof). The level
so read is postscripted dBA.
COMMERCIAL AREA
A group of commercial properties in the abutting public rights-of-way
and public spaces.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
Any facility or property used for activities involving furnishing
or handling of goods or services, including but not limited to:
(2)
Offload vehicle operating such as repair, maintenance
and terminaling.
(5)
Banking and office activities.
(6)
Recreation and entertainment.
(9)
Other commercial activities.
CONSTRUCTION
Any site preparation, assembly, erection, substantial repair,
alteration or similar action, but excluding demolition for or of public
or private rights-of-way, structures, utilities or similar property.
CYCLICALLY VARYING SOUND
Any sound which varies in sound levels such that the same
level is obtained repetitively at reasonably uniform intervals of
time less than 10 minutes in length.
DECIBEL (dB)
A unit for measuring the volume of sound, equal to 20 times
the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of the pressure of the sound
measured to the reference pressure which is 20 micropascals (20 micro-newtons
per square meter).
DEMOLITION
Any dismantling, intentional destruction or removal of structures,
utilities, public or private right-of-way surfaces or similar property.
EMERGENCY
Any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or
imminent physical trauma or property damage which demands immediate
action.
EMERGENCY WORK
Any work performed for the purpose of preventing or alleviating
the physical trauma or property damage threatened or caused by an
emergency.
IMPULSIVE SOURCE
Any source of sound or vibration of short duration, usually
less than one second, with an abrupt onset and rapid decay, which
significantly exceeds an eminent noise. Examples of such source include
explosions and impacts.
INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Any facility or property used for activities involving the
production, fabrication, packaging, storage, warehousing, shipping
or distribution of goods; and the production, transformation and storage
of energy in all forms.
MOTOR VEHICLE
Any vehicle which is propelled or drawn on land by a motor
or engine, such as, but not limited to, passenger cars, trucks, truck-trailers,
semitrailers, campers, go-carts, snowmobiles, amphibious crafts on
land, dune buggies, racing vehicles and any other vehicle as defined
in the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York.
MUFFLER
Any device for the abatement of sound emission while permitting
the transfer of a gas, such as air.
NOISE
Any sound which annoys or disturbs humans, or which causes,
or tends to cause, an adverse psychological or physiological effect
on humans.
NOISE DISTURBANCE
Any sound which
[Amended 12-16-1999 by L.L. No. 2-2000, approved
1-3-2000]
(1)
Endangers or injures the safety or health of
humans;
(2)
Is a noise that disturbs reasonable persons
of normal sensitivities;
(3)
Endangers or injures personal or real property;
or
PERSON
Any individual, association, partnership or corporation or
society or joint-stock company, and includes any officer, employee,
department, agency or instrumentality of a state or any political
subdivision of a state.
PLAINLY AUDIBLE SOUND
Any sound for which the information content of that sound
is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as, but not limited
to, understandable spoken speech, comprehension of whether a voice
is raised or normal or comprehension of musical rhythms.
POWERED MODEL VEHICLE
Any self-propelled airborne, waterborne or landborne plane,
vessel or vehicle which is not designed to carry persons, including
but not limited to any model airplane or boat, car or rocket.
PROPERTY BOUNDARY
Either the imaginary line, including its vertical extension
that separates one parcel of real property from another, or the vertical
and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit in a multi-dwelling unit
building.
PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
Any street or avenue, boulevard, highway, sidewalk or alley
or similar place that is owned or controlled by a governmental entity.
PUBLIC SPACE
Any real property or structures thereon which are owned or
controlled by a governmental entity.
RESIDENTIAL AREA
A group of residential properties and the abutting public
right-of-way and public spaces.
SOUND
A temporal and spatial oscillation in pressure, or other
physical quantity, in a medium with internal forces which causes compression
and rarefaction of that medium, in which propagates a finite speed
to distant points.
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 the American National Standards Institute Specifications
for sound level meters (ANSI S1.4, 1983 ASA 47-1983 or the latest
approved revision thereof) and fast time weighting shall apply. If
the frequency weighting employed is not indicated, the A-weighting
shall apply.
SOUND LEVEL METER
An instrument, including a microphone, amplifier, RMF detector
and integrator or time averager, output meter and weighting networks,
that is sensitive to pressure fluctuations. The output meters read
sound pressure level when properly calibrated and the instrument is
of Type 2 or better as specified in the American National Standards
Institute's specifications for sound level meters (ANSI S1.4-1971,
or the latest approved revision thereof).
SOUND PRESSURE
The instantaneous difference between the actual pressure
and the average or barometric pressure at a given point in space due
to sound.
SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL
Twenty times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of
the RMS sound pressure to the reference pressure which shall be 20
micropascals.
VIBRATION
A temporal and spatial oscillation of displacement, velocity
or acceleration in a solid material.
WEEKDAY
Any Monday through Friday which is not a legal holiday.