Noise complaints are an issue all over the country as well as here in Evanston.
Noise from loud parties was one of the concerns raised at the meeting of the Housing Subcommittee of the Planning and Development Committee earlier this week — and it’s habitually among the top concerns for many residents — especially those living near Northwestern University.
And earlier this month residents told the Human Services Committee that proposed revisions to the noise ordinance need further work.
In Arlington County, Virginia, as reported by ARLnow this week, officials have come up with what they hope is a piece of the solution.
It’s an infographic that tells residents what agency to call about different types of noise complaints at different times of the day or night.
If you search Evanston’s city website for “noise issues” or “noise complaints” you’ll most likely end up referred to the city code section that lists noises that are prohibited but doesn’t tell an annoyed resident where to complain.
(And regulation of that perennial source of noise complaints — leaf blowers — was recently moved to a different section of the city code.)
Of course knowing who to call doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a satisfying response.
The ARLnow story indicates that police called to loud parties there issue citations but don’t actually shut down the parties and that responses to some types of noise complaints can take several days.