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District of Columbia Code Division V. Local Business Affairs § 34-1252. Outdoor performances.

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

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(a) No later than one year after the applicability date of the Harmonious Living Amendment Act of 2024, passed on 2nd reading on December 17, 2024 (Enrolled version of Bill 25-750), the Office shall provide temporary or mobile acoustical shells or other structures meant to mitigate transmission of sound to nearby buildings resulting from the use of musical instruments or amplified sound in the following locations:

(1) Columbia Heights Civic Plaza in Lot 834 of Square 2843;

(2) The northwest corner of 14th Street, NW, and U Street, NW, located on Lot 844 in Square 204;  and

(3) Other locations as determined by the Office.

(b)(1) No later than one year after the applicability date of the Harmonious Living Amendment Act of 2024, passed on 2nd reading on December 17, 2024 (Enrolled version of Bill 25-750), the Office shall, in coordination with the District Department of Transportation, install within the public right-of-way no fewer than 5 digital decibel feedback signs displaying the current dBA level of the surrounding area.  Digital decibel feedback signs shall be accompanied by a summary of relevant regulations on dBA limits.

(2) Locations selected for installation of digital decibel feedback signs within the public right-of-way shall include, at minimum:

(A) Those specified in subsection (a) of this section, as well as locations of frequent violations of maximum noise levels as prescribed in Chapters 27 and 28 of Title 20 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (20 DCMR §§ 2700 et seq. and 2800 et seq.);  and

(B) The vicinity of the 600 block of 6th Street, NW.

(3) The digital decibel feedback signs installed pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not be considered measurement equipment for the purposes of enforcing noise control regulations as outlined in Chapter 29 of Title 20 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (20 DCMR § 2900 et seq.).

(c) The Office shall have authority to establish and administer a program to provide grants to performers, businesses, or organizations engaged in the management of public and commercial outdoor spaces, for the purposes of supporting outdoor performances in suitable public spaces as determined by the Office pursuant to this section.

(d)(1) No later than one year after the applicability date of the Harmonious Living Amendment Act of 2024, passed on 2nd reading on December 17, 2024 (Enrolled version of Bill 25-750), the Office shall publish a report on outdoor performances in the District and strategies for accommodating performances on public space that are in the vicinity of residential or mixed-use areas.

(2) The report shall include:

(A) An inventory of public spaces where outdoor performance frequently occurs and locations where it may be encouraged;

(B) Design guidelines and an action plan for accommodating outdoor performances that mitigates excessive sound attributable to the performances, with a focus on physical improvements like streetscape design, building code revisions, band shells, or other design standards to contain sound;

(C) A list of buildings proximate to common or prospective outdoor performance locations that may be insufficiently soundproofed and recommendations for remedy;  and

(D) A review of regulations governing outdoor performance and recommendations for reform.”.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - District of Columbia Code Division V. Local Business Affairs § 34-1252. Outdoor performances. - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/dc/division-v-local-business-affairs/dc-code-sect-34-1252-04/

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