[HISTORY: Adopted by the Commissioners of the Town of Princess Anne 12-4-1991 as Ch. VII, Art. 3 of the 1991 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Amusement devices — See Ch. 38.
Animals — See Ch. 41.
Bowling alleys, dance halls and poolrooms — See Ch. 46.
Circuses, carnivals and mobile ride devices — See Ch. 64.
Peace and good order — See Ch. 108.
Peddling and soliciting — See Ch. 111.
A. 
No person or persons, firm, association or corporation shall use or operate or cause to be used or operated within the town limits of Princess Anne any device or apparatus for the amplification of the human voice or sounds from any radio, tape, film, phonograph or other sound-making or sound-transmitting device for commercial, political or social purposes.
B. 
For public gatherings or occasions of special public interest or on such occasions or for such use as the President and Commissioners may deem proper, said President and Commissioners may issue a permit for the use of such sound-making or sound-reproducing devices for limited periods of time.
C. 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to abridge or curtail the right of newspapers to announce, orally or otherwise, any details, results or contemporaneous descriptions of important news or sports events.
D. 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to abridge or curtail the use of sound-making or sound-amplification devices for emergency purposes by duly constituted public agencies, specifically including but not limited to Police and Fire Department personnel, in the performance of their official duties.
[Added 1-26-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-02[1]]
Prohibited acts are as follows:
A. 
The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle on any street, way, avenue or alley or other public place of Princess Anne, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; the sounding of any such device for an unnecessary or unreasonable length of time; the use of any signaling device, except one operated by hand or electricity; the use of any horn, whistle or other device operated by engine exhaust; and the use of any such signaling device when traffic is for any reason held up.
B. 
The using of, operating of or permitting to be used, played or operated any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph or other machine or device for the producing or reproducing of sound between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure, or vehicle in which it is located.
C. 
Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets or public areas or from private property at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of any persons in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence or any persons in the vicinity, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight, after having been warned to quiet or cease such noisemaking.
D. 
Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets or public areas or from private property in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the public street, public area, building, structure or vehicle from which the noise emanates, between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m.
E. 
Making, continuing, or causing to be made or continued any other unreasonably loud noise or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others within the Town limits of Princess Anne.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also renumbered former § 101-2 as § 101-3.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any property owner, resident or dog owner to allow such dog or dogs to bark for unreasonable periods of time while said dog is confined or chained on his or her property.
B. 
A disturbance violating this section can only be proved on the complaint of a citizen corroborated by the testimony of a Town police officer.
[Added 1-26-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-02[1]]
It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly permit the making, creation or maintenance of unreasonably loud noises upon any premises owned or possessed by him or her or under his or her control.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also renumbered former §§ 101-3 and 101-4 as §§ 101-5 and 101-6, respectively.
[Added 1-8-2007 by Ord. No. 2006-10[1]]
A. 
It is known that noise above certain levels is harmful to the health of humans. The environmental noise standards set forth here are intended to and do incorporate the provisions of Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 26.02.03.02.
B. 
Definitions. In this chapter, the terms listed in COMAR 26.02.03 shall have the meanings indicated in COMAR 26.02.03.01 B.
C. 
The following sound levels represent the standards for the Town of Princess Anne by general zoning district:
(1) 
Noise and vibration prohibitions.
(a) 
A person may not cause or permit noise levels which exceed those specified in Table 1 except as provided in this section or approved by permit from the Town of Princess Anne.
Table 1
Maximum Allowable Noise Levels (dBA) for Receiving Land Use Categories
Day/Night
Industrial
Commercial
Residential
Day
75
67
65
Night
75
62
55
(b) 
A person may not cause or permit noise levels emanating from construction or demolition site activities which exceed:
[1] 
Ninety dBA during daytime hours;
[2] 
The levels specified in Table 1 during nighttime hours.
(c) 
A person may not cause or permit the emission of prominent discrete tones and periodic noises which exceed a level which is five dBA lower than the applicable level listed in Table 1.
(d) 
A person may not cause or permit, beyond the property line of a source, vibration of sufficient intensity to cause another person to be aware of the vibration by such direct means as sensation of touch or visual observation of moving objects. The observer shall be located at or within the property line of the receiving property when vibration determinations are made.
D. 
Exemptions.
(1) 
The provisions of this section may not apply to devices used solely for the purpose of warning, protecting, or alerting the public, or some segment thereof, of the existence of an emergency situation.
(2) 
The provisions of this section do not apply to the following:
(a) 
Household tools and portable appliances in normal usage.
(b) 
Lawn care and snow removal equipment (daytime only) when used and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
(c) 
Motor vehicles on public roads so long as the noise emitted from the vehicle is not causing a public disturbance eliciting complaints from citizens of the Town of Princess Anne.
(d) 
Aircraft and related airport operations at airports licensed by the State Aviation Administration.
(e) 
Boats on state waters or motor vehicles on state lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources.
(f) 
Emergency operations.
(g) 
Pile driving equipment during the daytime hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(h) 
Sound not electronically amplified created by sporting, amusement, and entertainment events and other public gatherings operating according to terms and conditions and with proper permits from the Town of Princess Anne. This includes but is not limited to athletic contests, amusement parks, carnivals, fairgrounds, sanctioned auto racing facilities, parades, and public celebrations. This exemption only applies between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight.
(i) 
Public transit and railroad vehicles.
(j) 
Construction and repair work on public property.
(k) 
Air-conditioning or heat pump equipment used to cool or heat housing on residential property. For this equipment, a person shall not cause or permit noise levels which exceed 70 dBA for air-conditioning equipment at receiving residential property and 75 dBA for heat pump equipment at receiving residential property.
E. 
Variance procedure.
(1) 
Any person who believes that meeting the requirements of this chapter are not practical in a particular case may request an exception to the requirements.
(2) 
Requests for exceptions to the Noise Ordinance must be submitted in writing to the Town Manager and shall include evidence to show that compliance is not practical.
(3) 
Upon receipt of a request for an exception, the Town Manager shall schedule a hearing to be held within 60 days.
(4) 
The applicant for the exception, at least 30 days before the hearing date, shall advertise prominently the hearing by placing a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the town in which the facility or source for which the exception is sought is located. The notice shall include the name of the facility or source and such additional information as the Town Manager may require.
(5) 
Based upon evidence presented to the President and Commissioners at the hearing, the President and Commissioners may grant an exception to the requirements of this code for a period not to exceed five years under terms and conditions appropriate to reduce the impact of the exception.
(6) 
Exceptions shall be renewable upon receipt by the President and Commissioners of evidence that conditions under which the exception was originally granted have not changed significantly.
(7) 
Applicants shall be responsible for public hearing costs, as directed by the Town Manager, including the hearing advertisement, facility rental, court reporter, and preparation of the transcript of the hearing.
F. 
Measurement.
(1) 
The equipment and techniques employed in the measurement of noise levels may be those recommended by the Town Manager, which may, but need not, refer to currently accepted standards or recognized organizations, including, but not limited to, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(2) 
The measurement of noise levels shall be conducted at points on or within the property line of the receiving property or the boundary of a zoning district, and may be conducted at any point for the determination of identity in multiple source situations.
(3) 
Sound level meters used to determine compliance with this section shall meet or exceed the specifications for Type II sound level meters.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also renumbered former § 101-3 as § 101-4.
A violation of this chapter shall be declared a municipal infraction, and any person or persons, firm, association or corporation violating this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a penalty as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, § 1-8 of this Code.