Southold Town: Bring in the Noise Ordinance

Southold Town Board members are proposing to pass a noise ordinance — the first-ever for the Town — to help keep things quiet at appropriate times on the North Fork.

And with wineries, restaurants and bed and breakfasts becoming popular destination places for weddings, corporate parties and even full-fledged concerts, the North Fork is no longer the quiet land of potato farms it once was.

Board members heard a variety of feedback Tuesday night from residents and business owners at a public hearing on the law, which would allow noise levels up to 65 decibels at or beyond property lines between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. If property owners exceed noise levels of 50 decibels outside of those times, they would pay a fine not to exceed $500 after conviction on a first offense. After a third offense, they would pay a fine not to exceed $5,000 after conviction within 18 months.

Based on public feedback, the board will go back and revise the draft ordinance before making it into law.

"What the Town Board proposed last night is a good first step, but needs some tweaking," said East Marion resident Anne Murray on Wednesday, adding that she thought the fines should be raised so that violators won't consider a fine as simply the cost of doing business but will really think twice before turning up the volume.

Murray said she advocates a noise ordinance to help prevent noisy business practices like those of the Blue Dolphin, an East Marion hotel close to a residential neighborhood that is now closed but often held loud and late parties while they were open, she said.

"No action could be taken against the owner of the Blue Dolphin, because there was no noise ordinance on the books despite years of complaints," she said.

The law, if adopted, might also affect how some wineries host weddings and other special events. Amy Finno, senior vice president of marketing and communications at Bedell Cellars on Route 25 in Cutchogue, said on Wednesday that Bedell has always operated with respect to neighbors regarding noise levels.

"We have always abided by a strict 10 p.m. cutoff point for the music," she said. "So I believe we're pretty much already on to what they are proposing."

Finno added that the 7 p.m. cutoff during the week made her a little nervous, though.

"That would definitely affect what we do midweek, especially during the summer when it's not even dark yet," she said.

Southold Town Police Captain Martin Flatley said that he can't say at this point how tricky enforcing a noise ordinance might be, but the law might help his officers with complaints they already address.

"We get complaints about noise on a normal basis," he said. "We occasionally get construction people working too early in the morning or on a Sunday afternoon. And if music is being played too loud at a party, we'll send a car and ask the property owner to turn it down. People comply most of the time."