LAKE PLACID — The village of Lake Placid is proposing an updated noise ordinance after more than a year of research and consideration of specific complaints of residents and visitors.

The ordinance will be discussed in a public hearing on Monday at 5 p.m. on the first floor of North Elba Town Hall. The video call will be on the same link as that day’s board meeting, which is on the village website.

Mayor Art Devlin said this law is all about balancing the needs of residents and businesses, keeping in mind the character of Lake Placid and the reason people love to live and visit here.

“If you think about coming to the Adirondacks, you think about hiking, you think about streams, you think about sitting by the lake or reading a book,” Devlin said. “We’re trying to stop establishments that want to blare music and prevent them from stopping what I think a lot of people come here for.”

One of the biggest changes to the ordinance is the inclusion of guidelines for noise during the day. The old ordinance, which was last amended in 2021, only included rules about nighttime noise and construction.

As it turns out, there are many more situations where noise can cause problems. Village Trustee Katie Brennan, who worked alongside the village counsel in developing the new ordinance, said some of the specifics of the law came from particular complaints from residents and visitors. In addition, the new rules for the daytime are aligned with what’s already in the joint town/village land use code.

The daytime ordinance, which applies between 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., sets a limit of 65 decibels. This matches what is in the land use code, but is also intentionally set below the level that is known to cause hearing damage — 70 decibels.

“People shouldn’t be subject to levels of noise that would impact their hearing on their own properties,” Brennan said.

The rules during the nighttime are staying the same.

Another change in the proposed ordinance is to the types of penalties and enforcement. The previous ordinance listed criminal penalties. However, this was very difficult to enforce, especially with commercial properties, Brennan said.

The new ordinance delineates between residential properties, which will be subject to criminal penalties, and commercial properties, which will be subject to civil penalties. The penalties are also higher than in the previous ordinance — a first offense can now result in a fine up to $500 instead of the $250 maximum in the previous law.

“The whole idea becomes, if you generate noise on your property, it should stay on your property,” Devlin said.

Overall, the ordinance expands upon the previous one and offers more specific rules about particular types of noise, as well as more specific exceptions. Brennan said most of these differences are not substantive changes, but mainly aim to provide more clarity and enforceability.

For instance, the new prohibitions include unreasonable noise outside courts, schools and churches, as well as a prohibition against intentionally squealing tires. Both of these items are not mentioned specifically in the current law.

On the other hand, the exceptions are more specific — there’s one for snow removal equipment, as well as businesses who need to load or unload at night.

“What we’re just trying to do is to have that conversation, and try to get the right balance,” Brennan said. “So that people are able to do what they want and need to do for their business, on their property, but also set up the infrastructure so that they’re not doing it at the expense of their neighbors.”

The board of trustees retains the right to make exceptions and issue permits. Brennan said the process to apply for a variance will remain the same.

The public hearing notice can be viewed at tinyurl.com/3ra8sk59. The proposed ordinance can be read at tinyurl.com/yeymy7za. The current ordinance, which will be replaced by the proposed one, can be read at tinyurl.com/3v4rpbcs. If approved by the board, the law will be effective upon filing with the Secretary of State.