WASHINGTON -- County leaders in Culpeper want to help the sheriff's office by putting teeth into a noise ordinance. Under the proposed changes normal activities that are legal now could end up becoming criminal.
The expanded proposed noise ordinance, by the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors, would make it a crime to make noise louder than 65 decibels after 6 p.m., seven days a week. Currently, the noise ordinance in the county applies after 10 p.m. and the penalty is a civil fine.
As a point of reference, a vacuum cleaner is about 70 decibels. If a resident, under the expanded noise ordinance, makes noise louder than 65 decibels it would be a criminal misdemeanor, with substantial fines.
For the first offense, the fine is $300, second offenses are $500 and the third
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put that in perspective:
1) by usa / va constitution noise is a tort (civil offense)
2) people would be prevented from doing house work or moonlighting (forcing people to hire mexicans to do their work for them during the day)
3) IN ENGLAND THE NOISE IS ALTOGETHER ILLEGAL - nuisances are very hard to file against a neighbor there - freedom to make noise in england (i think australia too) !! it's considered "legal whimsy" to complain of smell or noise from neighbors. their law does allow tort in cases of repeated very loud noise (ie, jack hammer every night - not vacuum cleaner after getting home from work)
4) now step back. they want $300 - $1000 and it's not the neighbor filing: it's got hellish county with no complaining victim filiing: a total abuse of law and the court system by facists
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