A proposed Boston city ordinance would crack down on noisy, unruly parties and gatherings with stricter enforcement rules and fines, requiring a penalty some Boston University students said is unreasonable.
The public will be able to give its input on the ordinance at a hearing Sept. 25 at Boston City Hall that is open to public comments.
Councilor Salvatore LaMattina of East Boston sponsored the ordinance, which was referred to the Committee on Government Operations in August.
The ordinance stated that loud parties cause disruptive behavior, leading to sleep disturbances and anxiety.
“Excessive and unnecessary noise is a significant threat to the health, safety and quality of life for residents of the City of Boston,” according to the ordinance.
The ordinance stated that Boston residents have an inherent right to be “be free from excessive and unnecessary noise.”
The ordinance places responsibility on multiple entities that allow disturbing noises to happen.
“This ordinance shall permit the city to impose liability on property owners and other responsible persons for the nuisances and harm caused by unruly gatherings on private property,” according to the ordinance.
The Boston Police Department keeps a separate telephone line speicfically dedicate for residents who are disturbed by parties, said BPD spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca in an email.
“In some areas of the city, where there are a lot of students, we do see an increase in complaints regarding loud parties,” she said.
The police ask that students be good neighbors and respectful of the community, she said.
“Of course we will strictly enforce the law as it relates to underage drinking and disorderly conduct,” she said.
If passed, residents who live in the premises, control the building or organize the gathering will be at fault.
The ordinance also addresses underage partying, explicitly prohibiting the consumption of alcoholic beverages at loud gatherings.
First-time offenders will receive a $100 fine and a $300 fine will be issued for repeat offenders.
“In lieu of issuing a fine, an officer may issue a written warning if the response to the complaint occurs before 10 p.m.,” according to the ordinance.
Some Boston University students said the fines are somewhat unfair.
Jessica DiCristoforo, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said a $100 fine for a first-time violation is ridiculous.
“If a person is asked to quiet down by a neighbor again and again and persistently doesn’t and police have to be brought in, a $100 fine would be adequate for wasting everybody’s time,” she said.
But if someone calls the police on another person without first asking them to be quiet, DiCristoforo said, it seems outrageous to charge someone with the fine.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Conor Heilferty said he could understand why the fines are in place.
“Obviously the fines are meant to discourage people from being excessively loud, so as long as the students are aware what the fines are and how much they are, I think the fines are fair,” he said.
Heilferty said “excessively loud” describes anything that can be clearly heard two to three apartments or houses over.
“Although, people should know that they live on a college campus and the noise is basically to be expected,” he said. “I think once the problem becomes an every-weekend kind of thing then it becomes an even bigger problem.”
COM sophomore Paul Remy said a fine of $100 for a noise complaint is not fair.
“Most of the time when people are being too loud, they aren’t doing it on purpose and sometimes don’t even realize how loud they’re being,” he said. “I think you should be allowed to make noise in an apartment to the point that it isn’t disturbing any neighbors, but I do not think the police should be contacted unless it’s far too loud.”
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