'High noise' regulations eyed

Noises off — or at least turned down.

Colusa County residents may have to abide by a new noise ordinance of face going to jail. The Colusa County Board of Supervisors said it may toughen the law regarding unnecessary noise in order to please the general population of the county.

"Noise seems to be a recurring complaint at town hall meetings," said Colusa County Sheriff Scott Marshall.

Marshall said amending the county's "currently deficient" code would give the Sheriff's Department a better tool to handle noise complaints, which have been excessive on the outskirts of Williams.

Colusa County Counsel Henry Rodegerdts said he drafted a new ordinance modeled after the one that protects the city of Davis from unnecessary, excessive and annoying sound levels from all sources.

The county will consider the ordinance at a public hearing later this month.

County officials said in order to curtail the problem, mostly from loud music in residential areas, they will enact laws that set absolute decibel levels allowed at certain times and locations.

The new ordinance calls for separate decibel allowances for residential, agricultural and commercial areas, as well as Highway 20 and Interstate 5, said to be a "high-noise corridor."

The new ordinance states that any person violating any of its provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine, for each of the first two violation within a period of one year.

The third violation within a one-year period is punishable by a fine, imprisonment in county jail or both, according to the ordinance.

Marshall said both Colusa and Williams have similar ordinances.

"Now we can enforce the law on both sides of the white line," Marshall said.

Contact Susan Meeker at 458-2121 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.