Conflicting noise ordinances in a metropolitan city

Controlling community noise has become an important aspect in most communities. The desire to provide an environment that is acceptable and peaceful to residents and conducive to businesses sometimes creates conflicts in the regulatory requirements. This conflict is compounded in metropolitan cities where many communities are adjacent. Each community has a set of priorities for its citizens directing how ordinances are written and what sound limits are permitted on certain land uses. Noise ordinances in a United States metropolitan area with a population of 1.5 million were reviewed for their similarity and dissimilarity with respect to zoning. It was discovered that even though the communities share the same borders, they have vastly different noise limits in terms of amplitude, time of day, required parameter (Leq, Ldn, etc.), and land use. The conflicts arise for noise sources that are located at the borders of these cities.