Noise Ordinance and Event Licensing

At a glance

• What: a Council order by Tony Economou, Jose A. Rivera, Kathleen M. Toomey, Gary Rosen and Robert A. Bilotta asking the Public Safety Committee to review the noise ordinance and the feasibility of a special noise variance for churches, festivals and organizations holding events.
• Where it stands: on 2026-09-08 the committee recommended filing the order after adopting four Chairman's Orders. On 2026-09-29 the noise-fine draft ordinance request (10a) was adopted 8-1 and the License Commission hearing item (10b) was placed on file 7-3.
• Next: the remaining Chairman's Orders continue before the Council.

Background

• At the 2026-09-08 committee meeting Nicholas J. Antanavica said the city has no continuous ambient noise measurement and police carry no meters; late-night calls are triaged and can wait hours (Paul B. Saucier).
• ISD admitted it had documented complaints poorly and has changed its logging and notices to build a stronger enforcement record.
• Weekly Wednesday meetings between ISD and police review upcoming events and License Commission items; there is no daily event list for officers.
• Possible tools raised: a trained evening ISD meter operator on overtime, applicants paying for noise monitoring, and building-code fines up to $1,000 per violation.
• It grew out of complaints such as St. Joan of Arc Church Noise.
• At the committee, Inspectional Services Commissioner Nicholas J. Antanavica explained that ISD handles complaints in business hours and Police triage late-night reports.
• Members focused on one-day and annual entertainment licenses from the License Commission, abutter notice, repeat violators and unlicensed events.

Chairman's Orders adopted by the committee

• A draft ordinance raising noise fines.
• A feasibility review of License Commission public hearings with abutter notice for all one-day event licenses.
• Complaint and citation data at those hearings.
• A report on the step-by-step event-license approval process, problem properties and best practices elsewhere.

Discussion time

About 70 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-09-29 - City Council — Held Public Safety Chairman's orders came back. 10a (draft ordinance raising noise fines) adopted 8-1 (Khrystian E. King opposed; Kathleen M. Toomey recused; Gary Rosen absent): King and Eric D. Batista said citywide complaints have not risen and the order stems from one property; Tony Economou said the issue is real for those residents and reported a meeting the night before with the pastor, neighbors, special services and the Police Chief; Robert A. Bilotta cited a Pentecostal church on Providence St. near Waverly St. and music until 2 a.m.; Jose A. Rivera cited three District 5 areas; Morris A. Bergman supported. 10b (License Commission hearings with abutter notice for all one-day events) was placed on file 7-3 on Rosen's motion (Bergman, Economou and Satya B. Mitra opposed) after the City Manager noted organizers rarely buy abutter lists and King worried about barriers for park events. Fred Nathan urged stronger enforcement in public participation.
• 2026-09-22 - City Council — Public Safety Chairman's orders came to the Council: Khrystian E. King held 9c (draft noise-fine ordinance; King said he knew nothing of it and the City Manager said it was too far along) and 9d (License Commission public hearings for one-day events with abutter notice) under privilege; 9e (complaint and citation data at hearings) and 9f (event license process report) adopted 10-0 (Toomey recused). The committee's recommendation to file the underlying order (16a) was accepted 10-0. Fred Nathan spoke against 9d-9f, questioning why the License Commission was being second-guessed.
• 2026-09-08 - Public Safety Committee - Discussion with the ISD Commissioner and Police Chief; four orders; recommended file. Nicholas J. Antanavica said ISD enforces venue noise through licensing and certificate of occupancy rather than meters (no ambient baseline; ISD meters cost about $6,500 and need two days of training; police carry none) and that a problem site not seeking licenses had its occupancy revoked and was found holding events again after about three quiet months, with building-code fines of up to $1,000 per violation next. Councilors (apparently Tony Economou) called the $50 fine toothless; Morris A. Bergman pressed for abutter-noticed License Commission hearings (one-day events are rising in number and size; commission meets 10 to 12 on 2nd and 4th Thursdays). Residents Bruce Hoffner (asked for fines up to $5,000) and Joseph Carcia (never received a hearing notice despite dozens of events) spoke; Gordon Davis spoke off topic.
• 2026-07-21 - City Council — Item 13b: the order for a Public Safety Committee review of the noise ordinance (including a special variance for churches, festivals and organizations) was referred to Public Safety with the St. Joan of Arc neighborhood-meeting order; a companion order for a report on how residents report noise (13c) was adopted. Tony Economou said other churches shut festival music off at 11 p.m. and the ordinance and complaint logging should be tightened; the City Manager said the noise ordinance has not come before the Council in a report during his administration.