Construction companies with projects in Reno and Washoe County may soon need to obtain permits to work at night, but the permits will give them more leeway than existing ordinances, according to county officials.
A new noise ordinance is expected to be discussed at a joint meeting of the Reno and Sparks City Councils and the Washoe County Commission next month.
The ordinance would then be presented at separate meetings of each body, along with a business impact statement required by state law that describes any costs for small businesses associated with it.
A period for public comment would follow that "first reading" of the ordinance and then two weeks later each governmental body would likely vote on its adoption.
The county, which has been working on developing the ordinance for more than a year, hopes to have it passed by spring, said Bob Webb, planning manager, Washoe County Department of Community Development.
The City of Sparks, which already requires permits for after hours construction, is expected to not adopt the new ordinance.
"Sparks said it is probably not going to participate," said Creig Skau, deputy city attorney, at a recent Reno City Council meeting.
"They said if it ain't broke don't fix it." The ordinance would require construction companies to secure so-called construction noise permits to build between 7 p.m.
and 6 a.m.
or 7 a.m.
The permits would carry small fees, said Webb, and be individually negotiated with unique restrictions on each.
A permit to build downtown, for example, would allow more noise than one granted for construction closer to a residential area.
And certain types of construction-related work, such as dust control, or city provided services like street cleaning and snow removal, would be exempt.
The county has been periodically meeting with people from the construction industry to get feedback on the ordinance.
"My feeling was that their concerns have been addressed," said Webb, during the Reno City Council meeting.
"I asked them for the business costs associated with it and I have not received anything." But that doesn't mean the construction industry is pleased, according to Bob Jones, president of the Northern Nevada Builders Association.
Jones said that certain construction activities can only take place at night or in the early morning.
Construction equipment is usually serviced at night, said Jones, and during the summer some work, such as roofing, must be started early to finish before the heat of day sets in.
Most residential areas, where noise would be most unwelcome, already have rules governing construction, said Jones.
And Jones said if there are permits they should be standardized, not individually negotiated as the county is suggesting.
"If it's subjective and not applied equally then you have to wonder about it," said Jones.
He said it sounds more like a way for the local governments to collect new revenue than to prevent noise pollution.
"It's a fund raiser."
