City of El Paso makes no changes to noise ordinance 1 year after putting proposal on pause
Published: Fri, 03/17/23
City of El Paso makes no changes to noise ordinance 1 year after putting proposal on pause
KFOX 14
by Ariana Parra
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — It's been over one year since city leaders looked to revise El Paso’s noise ordinance and yet there have been no changes.
A spokesperson from the city of El Paso said the city is still looking to secure a third-party consultant, which is why no modifications have been made to the city’s noise ordinance.
This comes almost 9 months after city leaders tabled the proposal to make numerous changes to the city’s noise ordinance.
The city’s current ordinance allows for 70 decibels or less after midnight.
As we’ve previously reported, homeowners filed several complaints against bars located in residential neighborhoods.
Timeline
In February 2022, city leaders started the process to revise the ordinance.
In March 2022 the city held multiple community meetings to propose amendments.
In June 2022, the city considered proposed changes and in a split vote council members decided to put this agenda item on pause to hire a third party consultant to better examine the noise ordinance.
Council considered the following changes to the city ordinance:
- Revise the definition of "Outdoor Area" to clarify that roll-up style doors, open doors, and windows constitute an outdoor area.
- Lowering decibel level from 70 dB to 65 dB
- Expand location requirement from 350 ft. to 500 ft. from residences.
- Written notice to neighbors expanded to 500 ft. (from 300 ft.); written responses expanded to 300 ft. (from 150 ft.).
- Lower revocation threshold from ten citations to two citations.
- Clarify that the City may seek injunctive relief for violations under the Texas Local Government Code.
KFOX14 followed up with the city and asked where the city was at in the process to find a third party consultant.
"No consultant has been selected and we would not be able to speak to it because of the cone of silence," a spokesperson from the city said.
KFOX14 will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they become available.