FENWICK ISLAND, DE -- Fenwick Island's town council voted to adopt updates to their noise ordinance on Friday. Town leaders say the updates provide more parameters for enforcement.
One of those updates included adding decibel regulations. The new regulations set a maximum of 65 decibels in noise level during the day and a 55-decibel maximum during quiet hours.
Town leaders said those numbers would be enforced through two consecutive readings with a decibel reader taken from the property line.
"Even with the quiet time decibels we have set in place, it still will allow normal conversation," Fenwick Island Mayor Natalie Magdeburger said. "It's not like we're giving a mandatory bedtime."
The town's quiet hours have also been adjusted. They now run from 11 pm to 8 am, instead of the previous 12 am to 8 am timeframe. Town leaders said this aligns with other regulations in town, like the town's bonfire hours.
WBOC spoke with a few neighbors about the changes. Neighbor Susan Taylor-Walls said she wishes quiet hours went until 9 am.
"It would let us sleep in," Taylor-Walls said. "A lot of the people here are older and retired, and a lot of people work out of their house, and it's kind of annoying to hear like a lot of noise."
Alan Eidsmore said he wonders how renters will know about the rules in the summer months.
"There's not a big concern about noise in this area, however, I can understand that there are some homes that probably are rented out to individuals that like to party almost all hours," Eidsmore said.
The updated ordinance will take effect immediately in town.