The Orem City Council is considering changing its noise law in response to complaints from residents.

The council discussed the changes at a meeting last week.

Mike Larson, chief of the department of public safety in Orem, said most complaints he receives are because of construction noise before 7 a.m. and loud music from neighbors.

"The most annoying is the back-up beepers on the backhoes," Larson said. "After that it's just general construction noises like saws and air guns."

The ordinance now states that construction work in or adjacent to a residential area between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. is considered disturbing the peace.

Though those are the most common complaints Larson said he receives, other noises like mechanical equipment noise from heating towers and cooling tanks were also discussed.

Kathy Bekker, an acoustical engineer and Orem resident, said the noise from the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem was a concern she had. Her father, Stan Klemetson, helped design the Pleasant Grove noise ordinance and was asked to attend the discussion for his input.

"You're supposed to have a separation from commercial and residential areas so you can go into your back yard and enjoy it," Klemetson said.

Greg Stevens, an attorney, said the general feeling was that the ordinance hadn't been updated in a long time and some changes could be considered.

Several options are being studied, including changing the type of noise ordinance. Three types were discussed.

The ordinance is based on a reasonable person standard. This ordinance is flexible but has no specific limit on noise. If a complaint is made, a police officer must decide if the noise is disturbing the peace.

"It seems to work the best. It allows for a little more leeway but officers become the mediators," Larson said. "Strict standards are easy to enforce but they don't have leeway for unusual standards and something may be very annoying but doesn't reach a certain decibel level, like backhoe beepers."

Another option is the decibel standard, which has an exact decibel level enforced. If noise reaches above the decibel level, officers could be called in to restore the peace.

The final option would be a hybrid of the two in the same ordinance.

No decisions were made at the meeting but Larson said it was opening the door for consideration for amendments to the current ordinance.

Stevens said more discussion would come later when the council has worked with police, residents and other cities to see what works for them. The council will then decide what works best for the city.

"The ordinance serves its purpose," Larson said. "But there are some areas that the ordinance could be tweaked. Maybe the council could look at construction noise or make it flexible for unusual circumstances."