SLO’s No Noise Policy May Actually Be Working

The San Luis Obispo Police Department has seen a continuous reduction of noise complaints in recent years. 

According to SLOPD Neighborhood Outreach Manager Christine Wallace, in 2019 there were 1228 noise complaints filed due to social noise. That number was down from 1439 in 2018. 

The noise ordinance was put in place in 1985 and has been amended many times. The current iteration has been in place since 2010. It stipulates that noise may not be heard fifty feet from its origin during the day and may not cross the property line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

When a noise complaint is received, either a police officer or Student Neighborhood Assistance Program (SNAP) employees will go to verify the complaint. SNAP can not issue citations but they can issue a formal warning in the form of a Disturbance Advisement Card (DAC.) Getting a DAC puts you on a no-warning list for 9 months and will result in an automatic citation if another complaint is made. 

The fines are $350 for the first citation, $700 for the second citation and $1,000 for the third and subsequent citations. 

Repeated tickets prompted some musicians to find a practice space where they were actually able to play loudly.

 “The noise ordinance laws are really not conducive to live bands,” said Welsey Price, bass player for the band Wordsauce and one of the founders of the Sauce Pot studios. “The noise ordinance laws were put in place because of students but they affect musicians because of the zero tolerance policy for noise.” 

One way the city has tried to balance the situation is through the party registration system created in collaboration with Cal Poly, Cuesta and the community. Wallace pointed to the 242 approved party registrations in 2019 as a major factor in the reduction of overall complaints. 

The party registration allows hosts to register an event at least a week in advance. If a complaint is made about a registered event, the hosts receive a call and are given 20 minutes to quiet down.

Wallace stressed that the party registration system mainly helps hosts to come up with a more well thought out, pulled together event in a way that Wallace said benefits everyone. It was also emphasised that while the service is primarily used by students for parties, any type of event can be registered.