On Tuesday night, Denver City Council gave initial approval for changes to the city’s noise ordinance. The final reading will take place next week.
With the changes, trash trucks would be allowed to run an hour earlier and some festivals would be allowed to be noisier. But the revised law would also tighten restrictions elsewhere, banning any nighttime construction that is “plainly audible.”
Here’s what’s changing:
Waste collection — trash, recycling and composting — would be allowed to start at 6 a.m. citywide, an hour earlier from the current start time. City officials say they don’t have immediate plans to start rolling municipal trucks earlier, but the change would allow private companies to do their work earlier.
Festivals on public land could be 5 decibels louder than before — 85 dB(A) when measured from the nearest residential property. Permitted events would automatically receive that right, though they must be wrapped by 10 p.m.
Public events on private property could also go to the higher limit, but for no more than eight days a year, and no more than four consecutive days, for any given property.
Because sound is measured on a logarithmic scale, even a 5-decibel increase can add up to a noticeable change.
Meanwhile, compression engine brakes would be banned throughout the city.
And “noise” would have a new definition: “Sound that is unwanted and exceeds the sound pressure levels permitted in this chapter or in rules adopted by the board or is otherwise prohibited by this chapter or by rules adopted by the board.”
The changes were largely supported by the council.
Councilmember Kevin Flynn oppose the measure in the initial vote, citing his frustration that the trash pickup time would now be earlier — something multiple constituents had opposed.
The measure passed its first reading on a 12-1 vote, and will be up for a final vote next week.
Editor’s note: This article was corrected at 6:19 p.m., Feb. 18, 2025, to note that the ordinance change only passed its initial vote and still requires a second vote. An earlier version incorrectly said the vote was final.
