Help with suburban loud music issue (downtown, issues, area, property)
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I have lived for years in a generally quiet suburban area outside a moderately large city in central Calif. Within the last year or so, there has been a growing problem with neighbors nearby having very loud special occasion parties. Sometimes they have a live band and sometimes just amplified music. Almost always there is a loud thumping bass that I think would drive the average person to distraction. The parties can run from 4p.m. past midnight. With most neighbors, this is a one time or once every great while occurrence. It happened almost every weekend during the summer and fall and sometimes during the week. Again this week has been a problem. There is also the occasional neighbor who just likes to play their music loud and does so when they feel like it. I have one near me now who does this.
Our county noise ordinance is pretty standard. My issue is how it is applied.
If you have a neighbor playing loud music, you call the sheriff's dispatch.
They will send a deputy to ask the noisy party to turn the music down. Since it's a low priority call, it may take the deputy awhile to respond. If the partiers don't turn the music down much or wait till the deputy leaves and then turn the music back up, the dispatcher will only send a deputy back out if the complainant agrees to sign a formal complaint and go to court to testify against the offending neighbor.
The stated rationale is that the revelers aren't disturbing the deputy's peace but the complainant's. On one level I understand this. However, if you're the one whose peace is disturbed, it takes some courage to agree to sign a complaint against people I generally don't know at all. It's taking a chance to incite the ire of people who already have shown minimal regard for their neighbors by playing the loud music for hours on end in the first place and whose character I don't know.
The alternative is to leave home until the party ends or to wait it out which is very difficult if you can't concentrate to read, watch TV, be on the computer, etc. Neither a very good option in my estimation. It's certainly understandable why most people probably do this because of the fear or the hassle of following through with a complaint.
My questions are: Have any of you had this problem and does your area have a more effective way of dealing with it that doesn't so openly expose and put on the spot the person whose peace is disturbed?
I'm seriously interested in researching this with the thought of changing the procedure here. [I have on occasion tried the direct approach of talking to the neighbor and they either are pleasant and then proceed to continue what they're doing or they get hostile. No surprise.] Constructive suggestions will be most appreciated.
You could always move downtown for some peace and quiet!
Find out if they are renters or owners. If they rent, you can use the code enforcement route to complain about the nuisance that the tenants have become, and the landlord gets the fine. Then you have not just you but also the landlord actively interested in getting them to quiet down. If they own, it's a bit less simple but I think you can also go the code enforcement route. Or you can just go ahead and sign that complaint.
One way or another, you can't avoid a hassle--sign the complaint or put up with the noise.
To reclarify, my questions are: Have any of you had this problem and does your area have a more effective way of dealing with it (that doesn't so openly expose and put on the spot the person whose peace is disturbed)?
(I'm willing to invest in petitioning for constructive change and would like to gather info on how other areas are handling this more effectively.)
Code enforcement officers only work here Monday-Friday 8-5. People who have loud parties and blast their music at home usually do it weekends or evenings so that won't work.
About screaming neighbor kids: I had a friend who had this problem. She generally has a very reserved nature. However, when the neighbor girl was at it again and my friend had had it, she rushed across the street to the child's house. Behaving in a semi-hysterical fashion, my friend shouted, "Are you injured? Is someone hurt? What on earth is going on?" The mother rushed out to see what was happening. My friend repeated what she had said to the child and said it sounded like something very serious was occurring because the kid's screams were so loud and shrill. She said the mom acted as though she (my friend) had taken leave of her senses. However there never was a problem with the loud screaming again. A little unorthodox but mission accomplished!
Yes, I have had this problem. Yes, we called the police and filed complaints. No, they do not live there anymore. No, we did not get firebombed.
Code enforcement staff may work during the day but they do deal with nighttime issues. I live in a city rather than unincorporated county so maybe they work differently than yours.
Solving the problem will probably expose you to some risk, but the price of avoiding that risk is not solving the problem. It's like having to choose between putting up with the pain of a toothache or the discomfort and expense of going to the dentist. It's your choice, you can't just wish the toothache away.
I've lived in suburban areas, several inner-city areas, small areas, big areas...you name it, and I've had noise issues at one time or another. I currently live in a downtown area and have the problem with a neighbour playing loud hip hop music. Nusiance neighbours are a potential problem in any area.
Are you in a larger city? I'm in Sacramento. The city has several code enforcement officers who are available after hours. Several of us on my block had one come out to cite a yard-maintenance company for using noisy leaf blowers at 5:00 and 6:00AM This is the case with several other cities I know of. In a large city it is necessity. You should give code enforcement a call and explain your situation to them.
Years ago we had this problem in our neighborhood. Luckily it was a rented property and we convinced the landlord to take action.
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