With warm weather that typically extends into fall, new COVID variants, and warnings to mask indoors, B-W residents will no doubt keep holding parties outside, and local businesses will continue outdoor operations. Outdoor gatherings like movies, block parties, concerts, and other family-friendly events are popular, but the City of Portland has detailed and nuanced noise guidelines for what’s allowed. It’s important for community members and business owners to know what the city allows in the effort to keep the peace.
Just what constitutes “noise?” The City of Portland’s Title 18 Noise Code (portland.gov/code/18) defines noise disturbance as any sound that: “(a) injures or endangers the safety or health of humans, or (b) annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities.” According to the city’s website (portland.gov/code/18/12), operating a device or equipment that produces or reproduces sound (such as music played through speakers) has rules with several key components:
- Sounds are permitted between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. but cannot be “plainly audible within any dwelling unit which is not the source” of the sounds.
- Sounds from a device or equipment cannot be “plainly audible” within 100 feet of public property or on a public right of way (such as a sidewalk).
- Sounds created in a city park require “a permit granted by the Commissioner in Charge of the Park Bureau” and may not be “plainly audible at any point along the park boundary.”
The City’s Noise Control Code (portland.gov/civic/noise/about/title-18-noise-code) “works to reduce unnecessary and extreme sound in environments to preserve the use, value, and enjoyment of property; conduct of business; and sleep and relaxation.”
The Noise Program scientifically measures the level of noise in decibels to determine if a source of noise violates the code.
So, before you crank up your favorite tunes at a family barbecue or haul your big screen outside to watch a televised football game with your friends, review the city’s noise rules. Your neighbors will appreciate it!
Resident of Beaumont-Wilshire since 2020, Carlos Montalvo lives on 43rd Avenue with his partner Jaclyn, son Carlos Ollie-Boyd, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever dog Jude, and orange tabby cat Bochy. When he’s not working at a health system as a patient experience manager, he enjoys writing, the outdoors, gardening, music, and sports.