It’s something most people have encountered before. Your upstairs neighbor stomps around with leaden feet deep into the night. Or your next-door neighbor suddenly develops an affinity for rock-and-roll drumming and tuba playing. Or maybe your neighbor plays video games with just too much gusto.
Whatever the case, a noisy neighbor can be quite a nuisance. Here’s what the law says about residential noise levels and what you can do about the volume next door.
What is the Columbus noise ordinance?
People are prohibited from making “unreasonably loud and/or raucous noise” that “disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of a person of ordinary sensibilities,” according to the Columbus City Code .
Specifically, residential properties can’t exceed an average one-hour sound level of 60 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. During the day, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., residential properties can’t exceed an average sound level of 65 decibels.
But just because a neighbor’s average sound doesn’t reach these thresholds doesn’t mean they’re not violating Columbus’ noise ordinance.