http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou060119_ac_noiseordinance.1ba9a04e.html
Battling noisy
nuisances in your neighborhood
04:47 PM CST on Thursday,
January 19, 2006
Big cities generate loud
noises, including loud music. One of the biggest
complaints involves cars with booming stereo systems.
KHOU
We like having it loud, Cisco Martinez said proudly.
While Houston has a law in
place to protect our ears, the county turns to the state for help battling the
noisy nuisance.
“We like having
it loud,” Cisco Martinez said. “It’s the way we express ourselves. “
It could be a form of
expression for Martinez and his friends, but Houston police say if you’re
playing loud music or making loud noise and someone can hear it 50 feet away,
you’re violating the law.
“If it bothers somebody,
the person is going to be cited for loud noise,” said Officer Johanna Abad.
Playgrounds, schools and
things of that nature are exempt, but noise from a car is not.
“If the noise is amplified coming
from a vehicle, that’s one of our biggest problems,” Officer Abad said.
While the city has its own
law, Harris County must rely on the state for help.
“As a county, we do not
have the ability to make our own laws,” said Janet Lane with the Harris County
Health Department. “We enforce the state’s.”
And under the Texas
Neighborhood Abatement Act, sheriff’s departments must investigate county noise
problems.
“If the violation is not
corrected within a given amount of time, the individual can be taken to a
justice of the peace court ... the fines can be anywhere from $10 to $200 for
the first offense,” Lane said.
Those fines are for the
county. Houston violations are punishable by $500.
The problem is by the time
deputies or police officers arrive on the scene, the culprits are usually gone.
Martinez said he sees a
problem with not being able to use his $1,400 sound system.
“We work hard for what we
have, and we can’t enjoy ourselves using it,” Martinez said.
To report noise ordinance
violators in Houston, call 311. Harris County residents can call 713-439-6270
for help.