Howard County adopts COMAR 26.02.03 for industrial and commercial noise. Noise received on industrial property may not exceed 75 dBA at any hour, and on commercial property 67 dBA daytime or 62 dBA nighttime. When a source is commercial or industrial, the county health department may enforce the limits.
Industrial and commercial noise in Howard County is governed by the same COMAR 26.02.03 table adopted through Section 8.900, with limits set by the land use of the receiving property. COMAR 26.02.03.02 Table 1 caps noise at 75 dBA day and night for industrial receiving property, 67 dBA day and 62 dBA night for commercial, and the stricter 65/55 dBA for residential. So a plant's noise crossing into a neighborhood is measured against the 65/55 residential limits, not the 75 industrial figure. Section 8.900 assigns enforcement to the health department when the noise complained of originates from commercial or industrial property, while the Police Department handles other sources. Blasting and pile-driving are confined to 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Industrial or commercial noise over the applicable COMAR limit is a Section 8.900 violation. The health department may enforce with civil penalties under Title 24; a first violation is a Class E civil offense and a subsequent one Class D.
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