Noise Ordinance Affects OHV Users In San Diego County

[DigDug 0]

Not sure if anyone has seen this yet.

A highly restrictive noise ordinance has been proposed for San Diego County. This ordinance has an extreme negative impact on OHV users in the county. It is possible that you may not even be able to start your vehicle without being in violation of this ordinance if it is enacted. As written, the restriction is 65dB max from 7AM to 7PM and 55dB max from 7PM to 7AM. These numbers are roughly the equivalent of a normal conversation between two people! Unlike other sections of the ordinance the OHV section does not require averaging, instead it says “at any time”. The ordinance is modeled after a similar “draconian” ordinance enacted in Riverside County, CA. San Diego County officials have tried to place this ordinance on the fast track to passage, but we have time to show our opposition to this proposal. We have provided a sample letter on our website at http://www.sdorc.org for you to send to your county officials. Please don’t delay. Take action and send in your letter today! For more info contact us at info@sdorc.org.

[Kevin 0]

Not sure if anyone has seen this yet.

A highly restrictive noise ordinance has been proposed for San Diego County. This ordinance has an extreme negative impact on OHV users in the county. It is possible that you may not even be able to start your vehicle without being in violation of this ordinance if it is enacted. As written, the restriction is 65dB max from 7AM to 7PM and 55dB max from 7PM to 7AM. These numbers are roughly the equivalent of a normal conversation between two people! Unlike other sections of the ordinance the OHV section does not require averaging, instead it says “at any time”. The ordinance is modeled after a similar “draconian” ordinance enacted in Riverside County, CA. San Diego County officials have tried to place this ordinance on the fast track to passage, but we have time to show our opposition to this proposal. We have provided a sample letter on our website at http://www.sdorc.org for you to send to your county officials. Please don’t delay. Take action and send in your letter today! For more info contact us at info@sdorc.org.

Lets start with all the straight piped Harleys and the "Fast and Furious" cars!

[DigDug 0]

Here's the exact wording of the proposed change taken from the SD Website linked from the SDORC website.

If I understand correctly, it looks like the SDORC newsletter has some different dB numbers (maybe changed after the newsletter went to press)

Still, 82 dB? Isn't the standard for public lands 92 (I think???). Does that mean that someone at Pine Valley could sound meter you and you'd get a ticket even though it meets the federal standard (and, by the way, one that manufacturers go by?)

Another interesting fact from the proposed law is that your bike is considered an "Off-Road Recreational Vehicle" even if it's street legal if it's used off road... Hmmm...

[PastaPilot 17]

I read the quote in the first post and was shocked. But then I read the excerpt from the website....

The way I read it I think it means that when your neighbor get's pissed that your riding dirtbikes in your yard (private property) they have to test the sound levels at the "boundary line" of your adjoining properties.

As the noise travels across the expanse of your "back 40" the sound will disapate to a lesser intensity.

If you've got enough land you can ride in the center and by the time it get's to your neighbors property it'd best be at the stated sound levels or else the man is comin' for you.

It doesn't state your tailpipe test at 1 meter needs to be...

I think they're just trying to cut down on the number of backyard moto tracks in East County, Ramona, Chief Gunner's house, etc. and not to put a damper on our favorite activity. Now the question arises, if I wanna ride my plated motorcycle on my backyard track does it still need to comply to the aforementioned noise criteria?

[DigDug 0]

Now the question arises, if I wanna ride my plated motorcycle on my backyard track does it still need to comply to the aforementioned noise criteria?

Yup....

Unless you consider your backyard track a private roadway - I guess you could call it a piece of farm equipment...

[Joliet 0]

[ I guess you could call it a piece of farm equipment...

I know I have plowed a lot of dirt with the foot pegs and handlebars of my DRZ. Ken

[sandiegoland 0]

One should go to the source and read the entire ordinance. It's a massive clean-up of Noise Abatement and Control.

Sounds like someone dissed the Curmudgeons of the County again...

[christi20 0]

I live on the San Diego/Riverside county line. I am all too familiar with the war on motorcycles on private property. Some of my neighbors were the ones who pressured Riverside to go with the strict OHV ordinances. We went to the big hearing a couple years back. Believe it or not, the Riverside ordinance is much less strict than when it was first proposed. Still, it is ridiculous. Back then, I rode my WR450 around on my property (motocross track on 40 acres) and we measured sound at the closest complaining neighbors property. The ambient road noise on highway 79 was much higher than than the noise from my bike. Only one turn on the track made it to 82 db. Most of the time the noise was between 35 and 50.

When we first moved there in 2003. The cops were called out every time we rode. Finally they just got tired of coming out. They did not feel there was any excessive noise. Still our anti-motorcycle neighbors (many of the same ones from Riverside) got together and complained to San Diego County. There were several hearings about our property specifically. The board voted in favor of us riding on our own property. The neighbors appealed this decision. The appeal failed. There were no (and still are not) OHV specific sound ordinances in San Diego. I have been aware of the efforts to add an OHV ordinance. I knew it would be just a matter of time that San Diego followed Riverside's lead. We are watching closely and will do what we can of course to stop this oridinance. The biggest issue we have is with the max db. All other current noise ordinances are averaged. Dirt bikes should not be singled out. Noise is Noise! An noise ordinance should apply to everything equally!!!