RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a Virginia Beach noise ordinance.
The court unanimously ruled Friday that the city law prohibiting what it calls “unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise” is unconstitutionally vague.
The ruling is a victory for the owners of The Peppermint Beach Club, an oceanfront nightspot. They claimed the ordinance is unclear about how much noise is too much, leaving that question up to the subjective judgment of police officers and inviting selective prosecution.
The court agreed, ruling that the law fails to give fair notice about what level of noise is illegal.
Source: http://www.whsv.com/
April 17, 2009