Houston's Cryptic New Noise Ordinance

I beg to differ with your comment on how actually measuring sound levels is ridiculous vs someone standing there and passing judgement based on what they hear. Every human is different in what they perceive as loud. One person may be more sensitive to certain frequencies than another. Which has and can skew a listening experience. A db meter is constant, precise, can be calibrated on the spot, and does not pass judgement just because that guy on the mic is singing waaaay out of key or they "think" it's too loud. db meters also quite commonly have multiple settings on them called weighting and some of these weightings do take into account sub frequencies. A simple $100 meter from Radio Shack will do this as most of the high end devices used today. I know this, for I am a sound engineer and have to frequently use them on shows ranging from a crowd of a few hundred to thousands. I agree that the lack of zoning laws here make it difficult for a homeowner to live in a place where a bar could very well open up next door, but a careful review of this ordinance law could help establish some more defined guidelines for all to follow. Whether it's a property line reading, an LEQ measurement over time, an averaged multiple peak reading, or a combination of several things, something can and should be put in writing so that club/bar owners and homeowners know why and when these laws and tickets are coming....

"used crack vials and condoms" whoever said that is full of shit. Those bars were in Montrose along time ago and the drug of choice among the "hipsters" in Montrose is not crack. That's a disgusting and gross exaggeration. They make it sound like its a free for all down here and Houston is NOT like that. We're not L.A. not N.Y. not D.C. and it just goes to show police can do whatever they want, whenever they want.

I think this is great. Without zoning in Houston, noise is an issue for many families. Bars and venues can pop up in residential areas and residents have no say so, no protection, and property values plummet. For the uneducated who just want to slam police, measuring noise with devices is even more ridiculous than using the audible criterion. Noise standards measurable on devices put little or no criteria on bass, the most aggravating and the hardest to abate noise nuisance factors. It is great to see that the police is willing to stand up for residents, and not business. Those of you who think this is a disgrace, particularly the members of the PAC, and the bar owners, who all live in deed restricted, gated communities, just send me your address. I will be happy to drive my car to your house, at, lets say 1:30 am on Saturday, and let my subwoofer do the talking.

There is nothing confusing about this law its just an excuse for the police to do whatever they want. Its like getting pulled over because you or the car you drive looks suspicious. It's more unconstitutional than cryptic. This ordinance is anti-business plain and simple. Cops have always done whatever they want this is nothing new but pulling a shotgun on someone is outrageous. Before this ordinance was passed they were supposed to provide a reading from a decible meter but it didn't matter if you were standing right next to that officer with your own meter and both of them were reading under what was considered to be a violation of the law and they'd shut you down anyway. I'm glad they've decided to take another look at the poor decision our public servants agreed to pass 13-1. The article states that Councilman Gonzalez voted for the ordinance yet he is the one who asked to take another look at the matter. Its tough to say whether he blindly votes on issues that graze his desk or that he is actually taking time to consider the real impact on Houston's economy, ant the prejudice and unfairness that is a direct result of allowing nothing but discretion. It seems like the guy in Montrose (not The Montrose-- hipsters below) who apparently made a ridiculous number of complaints was bitching more about public sexual activity and illicit drug use in his neighborhood than loud noise coming from a liscensed establishment. Attaching sex and drugs to music being played too loud because sex drugs and rock and roll sound good together is a stretch. You can't connect those three things and then equate them without making a jump. Most of the establishments along Westheimer between Shepherd and Lousiaana were there long before he moved there. Does anyone remember when Westfest wasn't confined to a block before it vanished? A solution proposed by Mr. Gonzalez is to create districts in a city with no zoning laws. What about residences that border one of these districts? I agree that people should be able to have peace and quiet in the privacy of their own home but it shouldn't be at the expense of others. People choose where they want to live but why did the cry baby from Montrose put his tail between his legs and moved-- Didn't he get what he wanted? Our city council members should have supported local businesses from the beginning. The notion that this is some type of money maker for the city to make up for red light cameras (which still aren't down) is bullshit. This is an attack on the arts, local business, musicians, and people going out to have a good time. In a city of over 4 million this should not be anywhere near the top of any police officer's list of things to do. Who is being served and what is being protected?

So you moved down to Montrose area and you can't believe there is a live music and or a bar scene @ night?

Hey "Frank" you really look like you belong more in Sugarland anyways thanks for playing and enjoy the burbs ya hick!!!

1.) I live within earshot of Fitzgerald's, and they've never been a problem. Onion Creek's chili cookoffs and crawfish boils are actually louder (which has also never been a problem).

2.) "At the same time, the pro-ordinance side, which includes homeowners and apartment dwellers trying to coexist in mixed-use neighborhoods, has grown tired of finding used crack vials and condoms on their lawns." What? That has nothing to do with the music venues, and everything to do with you moving into a neighborhood that's attempting to go through the gentrification process. The crack heads were there before you got there, and they're not frequent concert goers.

Yet another reason why Houston is lame and can't generate any type of unique music scene. This was going on in the early 90s with the -85db nonsense with HPD officers running around Montrose with meters measuring sound. You have to ask who is making the complaints? If you bought a condo or house in the neighborhood because you think it's "cool" then you have to be aware there are things that define it. Noisy weekend nights are part of it. Why not just stay in the suburbs and watch the ducks in your community pond?

If somebody proposed a new highrise for Montrose, would folks accept it? Probably not. But living two or three stories above the nightclubs and restaurants is the best way to keep above the noise and foot traffic, and the problem of people destroying your yard is solved, too. I think zoning is desperately needed in Houston, but when is that going to happen? There's got to be some kind of compromise. This ordinance is obviously not working.

I, as a single mom, 'get' being bothered by noise close into town. In my midtown apartment lives a small segment of the fratty, louder generation of 21-34, whose penchant for neanderthal communication consists of whooping and yelling, and keeps us awake til 3am on weekends. Still, I won't really blame them, though they are fools. I vote with my feet, with my ballot and otherwise I lob eggs into their parties just for fun in between. You don't go to the kitchen and complain about the heat, after all.

Great, balanced article by the way, Steve.

A disgruntled guy buys a house one street off of Westheimer at Montrose and is surprised by trash in his yard!?! He didn't know there were all-night businesses and major bars in walking distance in every direction!?! For over 40 years!?! Then, because he made a completely idiotic decision if actually wanted peace and quiet, he gets confrontational with business owners who pay this city's taxes. Which group of people makes more money for the City of Houston: some bitchy land owners or many small businesses? This is nothing but a land grab by developers using HPD as shock troops to move historic, long standing commercial enterprises off their now incredibly valuable land. Washington Ave. used to be a freaking ghetto, bars were welcomed as a tax base. Now they're targeted for their land ownership so more of these crap ass condos with bitchy rich people can live close in. And they donate to these politicians, so the politicians take their side and send in the cops with no clear law, and eventually they suffocate the small businesses so the developers can put up more crap ass track condos. This should be no different than the Occupy WallStreet Movement. If the powers that be are already in the pocket of mega-business, then I suggest that we take it underground and make them regret destroying the livelihoods of small business owners and musicians. Make it cost them some money out of their pockets. Vote the fuckers out.

Simply put law should be based on fact, not opinion.

This is easily the dumbest law enacted by the city of Houston. You should require more than an just officer's opinion - anyone who disagrees should simply ask themselves if they would like the city to begin issuing speeding tickets under the same "standards."

And by the way, I call bullshit on Inselbuch's whole the "I found condoms and crack pipes and blah blah blah" in my yard. First off, that has nothing to do with the issue. But more to the point, people with an axe to grind against any nightlife in Houston have been making those claims for decades but in the three decades I've been here, I've never seen that and I was here in the 80s when the claims would at least have seemed plausible. I say before you print that kind of rubbish you ask them to collect all these things they claim exist on their lawn. I'll buy it then but as far as I can tell, it's a myth or at best an exaggeration based on a few experiences.

officer on stand, under oath- '' it was too loud'' defense lawyer-'' how loud is too loud?'' answer-''it was too loud '' lawyer -'' how loud was that ?? answer '' it was loud'' ok everyone- this will not hold up in court, ever, the subjective nature of 500 dollar fines in regards to what someone thinks , with no complaint being made, is in direct conflict with this countries legal system. and how loud is too loud , I always believed 85 db past a certain time was the cutoff, and the officers used to have to use a meter , and now through their superior training and intelect, they just know -- 100% bullshit ... take it to trial...

Josh Sanders is a tool. That needs to be said.

The comments in the article about zoning are some of the dumbest I have ever read. In cities with zoning - Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland - people live adjacent to bars and restaurants; some even live OVER bars and restuarants. In all those cities they live a hell of a lot closer to noise sources than in Houston. But the perennial Houston excuse - it's all because we have no zoning - lame, lame, lame.

One thing I have slowly but surely noticed is that some of the former big names (and I say big because they are big to me:-) are now not coming to houston. A few months ago I saw a flock of seagulls and animotion at stereolive on westheimer. Guess what? Now none of those types of acts are coming to local clubs like that. It kinda saddens me. I saw them back in september and then in october they pass this law. I do think this is sending shockwaves in the music community more than we think and its gonna send further shockwaves if this law is not repealed or made more reasonable.

How does one go about challenging a ticket in court? Because the officer does not need a decibel meter, it is just their word against the word of the club owner. There is nothing to look back on and challenge in court. I'm no lawyer, but that doesn't sound exactly constitutional to me.

I'd rather hear the noise coming from these bars than people on their Harleys revving up at all hours of the night. Hate those things.

Pro-bar types are typically renters with no sense of the neighborhood's history and that some of the residents remember when the neighborhood was "residential" and quiet. Its much easier to pack your dufflebag and flop elsewhere than to leave a home you've been in for 40 years. Try watching your neighborhood (inwhich you're invested,) deteriorate thanks to mixed-used BS and no-zoning and your property's value plumet and you'd dance to a different tune. Hard to care about those values when all that matters is who's the hottest DJ at the club.

I love Boondocks. I wish it was louder.

What the hell is a crack vial? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Inselbuch is a freaking liar and a whiny little bitch. I'm sure that he is much happier now out in Kingwood or Katy and I am going to miss him greatly. And I think that we should start calling the Noize Cops every time we hear a car drive by. Perhaps it would give them a chance to hone their acute hearing skills. FTP

...charged with "generating sound causing others to be aware of vibrations or resonance."

seems to me that a half-ass lawyer could make the argument that anytime anyone hears anything, they are very much aware of 'vibrations' and/or 'resonance'. except in a vacuum (where a great many of our so called leaders appear to reside), sound, no matter how soft, is vibrations in air. jesus titty fucking christ, where do they come up with this shit?

I'm a resident of the same block of Lovett that Inselbuch lives on (and a Houston Press staff member). The patrons leaving the bars in the area can be a little loud. There is occasional peeing in the street.

But I've never once found drug paraphernalia in my yard. In the two years I've been on that block, I think I've found condom in the street.

There is noise from time to time. But it doesn't bother me too much - I moved one block off a major street in an (unofficial) entertainment district. Why would I expect anything else, or attempt to ruin the party? If I wanted something quieter, or with less foot traffic, I would have chosen a different neighborhood, or a sleepier part of Montrose.

What I can't get is what the heck was wrong with the old noise ordinance? Who lobbied for a new one that essentially gives the pigs the right to selectively shut down music venues they dislike?

FUCK THE NOISE ORDINANCE!!!!!!!!!!!

"a fiery melee went off at the old Walter's on Washington between HPD officer G.M. Rodriguez (who allegedly discharged his Taser at three people)"

Allegedly? Ok, I know that might be how you have to word it. But there's video evidence of Rodriguez discharging his Taser.

This Noise Ordinance is ridiculous. If you don't want to hear music playing, please don't live in or go to Montrose, Midtown, Heights. I moved to Montrose knowing that I would hear music coming from Mango's on occaission. I cannot hear the music in my home. What is the big deal?! As the saying goes "If it's too loud, you're too old!"

It's BS like this that keeps Houston's reputation as a cultural stink-hole. Right now there is a great scene of local musicians and artists, but they can't truly flourish in this sort of environment. I hope these businessmen can make some headway and stay in business because guys like Omar Afra have been vital to live music in this city. And a great live music, art, and culture scene can be quite beneficial to a city. Just ask Austin, who has turned culture into the driving force behind the city's popularity which has drawn businesses, jobs, and turned it into the fastest growing city in the state.