Tyler Has Issued a New Noise Ordinance – Could It Affect the Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival?

I'll be honest, I have read the new ordinance explained at tylerpaper.com but I wonder why there has been an issue in reference to businesses. 

Tyler is growing, there is no doubt about that. As is a popular saying around here, "Tyler is the little city trying to be big." But Tyler is actually pretty big. And with that comes the need for entertainment, which Tyler is in desperate need of, but that's a whole other conversation.

The city has had a noise ordinance in place but it used to read very vague. Wednesday (July 12), the city approved a clearer noise ordinance for the city.

In the ordinance from tylerpaper.com, it is stated that the "noise" cannot be above 75 decibels between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. From 10:01 P.M. to 6:59 A.M., the decibel level cannot exceed 63 decibels.

On weekends, the hours are extended by one hour. An extra hour was granted to the downtown Tyler area both weekdays and weekends.

However, I'm wondering why there is a concentration on the business aspect of it. I got to thinking of places that would host live music in relation to neighborhoods. Most businesses that offer live music are not near any neighborhood and not many have their music outdoors.

And how would this affect outdoor events like the Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival? According to the article, special permits can be obtained. Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival creator Chase Colston had this to say in regard to the event.

We don't expect the new noise ordinance to have any effect on the Bud Light Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival since we will be able to obtain a special use permit for the event. The concern, though, is for the rest of Tyler's growing live music scene and how they will be negatively affected by this new ordinance. It's deeply concerning.

I agree.

It is also said that when a noise complaint comes in, police will measure the decibel level from the point of complaint and not from the venue itself.

Just my opinion: I understand that if you are in a neighborhood, loud noises from gatherings or parties or cars driving by can be frustrating and I would guess that a majority of noise complaints would come from those instances.

However, has there been an increase of noise complaints from businesses? As I stated above, there's not really anything close to neighborhoods that live music would be a nuisance.

Let us know. Have you been bothered in your home from outdoor music from a business? If you're curious what the average decibel level is in Tyler and Longview, check out our article below.