subject: Noise Complaint A Major Issue For New York City Citizens [print this page] Noise complaints rank as the number one nuisance complaint in New York City, as measured by the number of 311 calls received about the matter. 311 is a city hotline that allows residents to lodge complaints about non-emergency matters related to quality of life concerns. Not surprisingly for a densely packed metropolis of many millions, those complaints typically involve the neighbors!
But despite having what are commonly regarded as the nation's toughest anti-noise pollution laws, enforcement is haphazard and largely dependent on the individual agents charged with this sort of tasks.
Over a decade after its debut, New York City's 311 system still ranks noise complaints as the top issue concerning the citizenry where quality-of-life matters are involved.
Peace and quiet is a premium product in New York City, which is why quite a few people ignore noise pollution laws, associating them with luxury living rather than the civic rights and responsibilities that they are.
So what is to be done? Sadly, there is no one universal answer. It all depends on the particular details of any given situation. In rent-stabilized apartments, for example, landlords are held responsible for ensuring that their buildings aren't just habitable but also hospitable.
New York State has a hospitality clause in its tenant's rights laws that though little has indeed been utilised to good effect, gaining rent abatements wherever landlords were found negligent in keeping their property in a livable condition with respect to the level of controllable noise.
Another option is the local police precinct, where community affairs officers are tasked with this kind of matters that involve the quality of life. Such policemen and women are empowered to take drastic action if needed, such as confiscating any offensive audio equipment if repeated warnings are ignored. Of course, one must weigh such success against the resultant ill will that's sure to prevail unless complaints are made (and sustained) anonymously.
