§ 9.01.02. Definitions germane to this chapter.

1.

A-weighted sound pressure level: The sound pressure level, in decibels, as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighted network. The level to read shall be designated as ________db(A) or ________dBA.

2.

Ambient noise level: The sound pressure level of the all encompassing noise emanating from a given environment, usually being a composite of sounds from many sources.

3.

Construction: Any site preparation, assembly, erection, substantial repair, alteration, or similar action, for or on public or private thoroughfares, structures, utilities or similar property.

4.

Decibel or dB: A unit describing the amplitude of sound, equal to 20 times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is 20 micronewtons per square meter.

5.

Demolition: Any dismantling, destroying or razing of structures, utilities, public or private thoroughfares surfaces, or similar property.

6.

Emergency: Any occurrence or circumstance involving actual or imminent physical death of trauma, or property damage, demanding immediate emergency work or service.

7.

Emergency work or emergency service: Any labor performed for the purpose of preventing or alleviating, or attempting to prevent or alleviate, an emergency.

8.

Environmental protection officer: Any Okaloosa County environmental protection officer, building inspector, or code enforcement officer as designated by the board of county commissioners or the sheriff of Okaloosa County.

9.

Fluctuating noise: The sound pressure level of noise more than six dB(A) during the period of observation when measured with the slow meter characteristic of a sound level meter. It does not equal the previously existing ambient noise level more than once during the period of observation.

10.

Impulsive sound: A sound of short duration, usually less than one second and of high intensity, with an abrupt onset and rapid decay. Examples of sources of impulsive sound include explosions, drop forge impacts, the discharge of firearms, the barking of dogs, and the beating of drums.

11.

Level, day-night (Ldn): A 24-hour average of the A-weighted sound pressure level, with the levels during the period 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. increasing to ten dB(A) before averaging.

12.

Motorboat: Any boat or vessel propelled or powered by machinery, regardless of whether such machinery is the principal source of propulsion, including boats, barges, amphibious craft, waterski towing devices and hover craft.

13.

Motor vehicle: Any vehicle defined as "motor vehicle" by Section 320.01(1), Florida Statutes.

14.

Multi-family residential dwelling: A building designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy by three or more families.

15.

Multi-family residential dwelling unit: The portion of a multi-family residential dwelling designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy by only one family.

16.

Noise: Any sound produced in such quantity and for such duration that it annoys, disturbs or may injure a reasonable man or woman of normal sensitivities.

17.

Noise sensitive zone: A quiet zone which is open or in session, and which is demarcated by conspicuous signs identifying it as a quiet zone. Noise-sensitive zones may only be schools, public libraries, churches, hospitals, and nursing homes.

18.

Ordinances: This Nuisance Control Ordinance of Okaloosa County, Florida.

19.

Person: Any individual, association, partnership, corporation or other business entity.

20.

Plainly audible sound: Any sound for which the information content of that sound is communicated to the listener, including understandable spoken speech or comprehensible musical rhythms.

21.

Powered model vehicle: Any self propelled airborne, waterborne or landborne plane, vessel or vehicle, which is not designed to carry persons, including any model airplane, boat, car or rocket.

22.

Property line: Any imaginary line along the surface of land or water, and its vertical plane extension, which separates the real property owned, rented or leased by one person from the real property owned, rented or leased by another person.

23.

Public right-of-way: Any street, avenue, boulevard, highway, sidewalk, alley, or similar place normally accessible to the public which is owned or controlled by Okaloosa County.

24.

Pure tone: Any sound which can be distinctly heard as a single pitch or a set of single pitches. For the purposes of measurement, a pure tone shall exist if the one-third octave band sound pressure level in the band with the tone exceeds the arithmetic average of the sound pressure levels of the two contiguous one-third octave bands by five dB for center frequencies of 500 Hz and above and by eight dB for center frequencies between 160 and 400 Hz and by 15 dB for center frequencies less than or equal to 125 Hz.

25.

RMS sound pressure: The square root of the time averaged square of the sound pressure.

26.

Single-family residential dwelling: A detached dwelling containing complete housekeeping facilities for only one family, designed for or occupied exclusively by one family for usual domestic purposes, and having no enclosed space or cooking facilities or sanitary facilities in common with any other dwelling.

27.

Single-family residential dwelling lot: The parcel of land upon which a single-family residential dwelling is located.

28.

Sound: An oscillation in pressure, stress, particle velocity or other physical parameter, in a medium with internal forces. The description of sound may include any characteristic of such sound, including duration, intensity, and frequency.

29.

Sound level: The weighted sound pressure level obtained by the use of a metering characteristic and weighting A, B, C, as specified in American National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters (ANSI Publication S1.4-1971) or successor publications. If the weighting employed is not indicated, the A-weighting shall apply.

30.

Sound level meter: An instrument which includes a microphone, amplifier, RMS detector, integrator, or time averager, output meter, and weighting network used to measure sound pressure levels. The output meter reads sound pressure level when properly calibrated. The instrument is of Type 2 or better, as specified in the American National Standards Institute publication entitled "Specifications for Sound-Level Meters," designated as ANSI S1.4-1971.

31.

Sound pressure: The instantaneous difference between the actual pressure and the average of barometric pressure at a given point in space, as produced by the presence of sound energy.

32.

Sound pressure level: A 20 times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the RMS sound pressure to the reference pressure of 20 micronewtons per meter squared. The sound pressure level is denoted Lp (or SPL) and is expressed in decibels.

(Ord. No. 11-01, § 2, 1-18-11)