§ 11-102. Terminology, standards and definitions.

(a)

Terminology and standards. All technical acoustical terminology and standards used in this division, which are not defined in subsection (b), shall be read or construed in conformance with the American National Standards Institute, Inc., ("ANSI") publication entitled "Acoustical Terminology," designated as ANSI S1.1-1960, or its successor publication.

(b)

Definitions:

A-weighted sound pressure level means the sound pressure level, in decibels, as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighting network. The level so read shall be designated as _______db(A) or _______dBA.

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

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

Decibel or dB means a unit for describing the amplitude of sound, equal to 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is 20 micronewtons per square meter.

Demolition means any dismantling, destroying or razing of structures, utilities, public or private thoroughfare surfaces, or similar property.

Division or this division means this "Nuisance Control Ordinance of Okaloosa County, Florida."

Emergency means any occurrence or circumstance involving actual or imminent physical death or trauma, or property damage, demanding immediate emergency work or service.

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

Environmental protection officer means any county environmental protection officer as designated by the board of county commissioners or the sheriff of Okaloosa County.

Fluctuating noise means the sound pressure level of noise varying more than 6 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.

Impulsive sound means 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 barking of dogs, and the beating of drums.

Level, day-night (Ldn) means 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. increased by 10 dB(A) before averaging.

Motorboat means 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, water ski towing devices and hovercraft.

Motor vehicle means any vehicle defined as a "motor vehicle" by Section 320.01(1), Florida Statutes.

Multifamily residential dwelling means a building designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy by two or more families.

Multifamily residential dwelling unit means the portion of a multifamily residential dwelling designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy by only one family.

Noise means 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.

Noise-sensitive zone means 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.

Person means any individual, association, partnership, corporation or other business entity.

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

Powered mobile vehicle means 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.

Property line means an 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.

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

Pure tone means 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 5 dB for center frequencies of 500 Hz and above and by 8 dB for center frequencies between 160 and 400 Hz and by 15 dB for center frequencies less than or equal to 125 Hz.

RMS sound pressure means the square root of the time averaged square of the sound pressure.

Single-family residential dwelling means 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.

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

Sound means an oscillation in pressure, stress, particle displacement, 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.

Sound level means 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.

Sound level meter means 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.

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

Sound pressure level means 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 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. 87-33, Art. 2, § 2, 6-23-87; Ord. No. 11-13, § 4, 9-20-11)