The Reno city council is taking another look at downtown noise rules after a Halloween concert rattled nearby residents — prompting a fresh wave of complaints and a deeper discussion about how loud is too loud in the city’s entertainment core.
City staff will brief councilmembers on Wednesday about Reno’s current noise regulations, how they compare to other cities, and what recent noise-meter readings reveal about day-to-day sound levels downtown. This item is for discussion only, but it could shape potential policy decisions in the coming months.
At the center of the issue: Reno’s existing noise ordinance doesn’t actually apply to most of downtown. The rules are based on A-scale measurements — which capture overall loudness — and only apply when noise is measured from residential zones. Much of downtown Reno is zoned Mixed-Use, meaning the citywide limits don’t apply there…