St. Louis-area town sets decibel limit

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. -- A St. Louis County town is taking the guesswork out of noise complaints, establishing decibel limit guidelines.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported an ordinance approved Monday in Town and Country prohibits continuous noise in excess of 55 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., and in excess of 65 decibels other hours of the day.

Police chief Patrick Kranz said the ordinance is better than requiring an officer to determine on a case-by-case basis what constitutes being too loud.

The law sets a limit of 80 decibels for short-duration sounds.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says a quiet office typically operates at 50 to 60 decibels, while average city traffic is 80 decibels.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com