Kitchener makes it easier to get noise permits for neighbourhood events

KITCHENER — City hall is cutting the red tape for people to get noise permits for small neighbourhood events.

Until now, the city has required council to approve every request for an exemption from the city’s noise bylaw, regardless of whether the planned event was a large backyard family barbecue or a major music festival.

But council this week approved a system where small events, such as backyard weddings or neighbourhood street parties, can get the permits through a simple application process.

The new streamlined noise permit is one of the first changes to flow from the city’s neighbourhood strategy, a major city initiative that council approved in February designed to help residents make their neighbourhoods more livable.

The city usually processes 10 to 12 noise permits for smaller events each year, said bylaw enforcement director Gloria MacNeil, but the process likely discouraged many from even applying.

Getting council approval made the process daunting for smaller groups, she said. People had to have their request in at least eight weeks before the event, to ensure there was time to get council approval in advance. Some people also found it a bit intimidating to have to get council approval.

Each application ate up about three hours of staff time, for things like writing up a report to council and attending the council meeting, MacNeil said.

In the past five years, council hasn’t turned down a single request for a noise exemption for a small event, MacNeil said.

Under the new system, which goes into effect immediately, organizers of small events will fill out a standard form with details about the event and the type of noise it will generate. Bylaw staff will give the final approval after ensuring there was no previous history of noise complaints in the area.

There is no cost for the permit.

The process should be much quicker, MacNeil said. “If somebody comes in even two or three weeks in advance, we could probably accommodate them, no problem.”

Organizers would still be required to limit noise after 11 p.m. and to notify neighbours about the event in advance. Big events that advertise and that are open to the general public — as opposed to a specific neighbourhood or a private party — would still need council approval.

Other cities, including Waterloo, Ottawa and Mississauga, have similar systems for small events.