Question:Noise control by-law?

[The Bostonian]

Hi everyone,


Got back from Hawaii two weeks ago,the Hawaiian girls are just beautiful!!!!!!!
And man am I ever tanned!!!!

I highly recommend Hawaii.

Anyways, back at work my female co worker asked me if I knew any noise control by-law in the city of Vancouver. She complains that her neighbor (she lives in a 1 bedroom wood frame apartment) plays techno music from 5pm till 9pm everyday. She says it's just somewhat faintly loud that you can't concentrate at all, but not extremely loud that would blow your eardrums. I've told her if that bothers her peace at home then you should talk it over with your neighbor.
Is there anything else that she should know that I could pass on to her?

 

[cancowboy2001]

Advice from the Canadian Bar Association:
http://www.cba.org/BC/public_media/housing/400.aspx

Noise
We’ve all had our peace and quiet disturbed by squealing tires, loud stereos, barking dogs, or noisy equipment. What can you do to stop it? First, you can try talking to the person responsible for the noise. They may not realize how irritating it is.

If that doesn’t work, call your city hall and ask if there is a noise bylaw. If there is one, talk to the person who enforces it. For example, in Vancouver, you would call the Environmental Health Officers. Each municipality’s noise bylaw is different, but most are quite broad. In Vancouver, the bylaw covers noise from animals and birds, heavy-duty equipment, lawnmowers, loud parties, stereos and many other things.

Usually, the municipality’s enforcement officer will try to solve the problem informally. If they can’t, they may prosecute the noisy person in court for violating the bylaw. If a person is screaming, shouting, swearing or singing to the point that they are causing a disturbance, they may be causing a common nuisance, which is against the Criminal Code. In that case, call the police and report it.

Your can also sue the person causing the noise. You could sue for damages for nuisance or negligence, or ask the court to order the person to stop the noise.


PDF of Vancouver noise bylaw:
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/bylaws/79247v12.pdf

35 pages of legalese and appendices for someone to wade through - really about 12 pages of legalese.

A quick browse: If she lives in a "quiet zone" then between 0700 and 2200, no continuous sound greater than 55db is allowed (clause 5a).
See the PDF for definitions of the above terms.

 

[LonelyGhost]

Is there anything else that she should know that I could pass on to her?

is she or the other guy a tenant? if so, then she has the right to the quiet enjoyment of her home and can file a complaint with the landlord.

unfortunately, in most cases, 5 to 9 pm are not the times that anyone will support a complaint about noise ... usually after 10 pm or early morning are times that 'count'.

if its just a bit intrusive there is also not much to be done either ... 'some noise' is always going to be there ... she might try running a fan to create some 'white noise' to drown it out.

 

[westwoody]

She could get a white noise generator, I used to have one that made sounds like rain or flowing water. It covers other noises but you end up tuning it out. And it may be less hassle than dealing with an obnoxious (anybody who listens to techno) neighbour.

 

[john23]

She could get a white noise generator, I used to have one that made sounds like rain or flowing water. It covers other noises but you end up tuning it out. And it may be less hassle than dealing with an obnoxious (anybody who listens to techno) neighbour.

I've used that when I worked night shifts and lived on 12th avenue. In my case I had an old analog kenwood tuner that when the fm dial was out of a station it would make white / pink noise. The good thing about this was the volume could be set very high. If you do that wear earplugs, but you really can drown out truck noise using it and still be able to sleep.

Studies have shown that people fall asleep faster to white noise and sleep more soundly.

 

[DJLAW]

get some revenge.

anyone who likes techno hates country.

put a couple of speakers on your balcony and blast some garth brooks or brooks and dunn or anyone else with the name brooks.