In old apartment buildings there is an old problem - low-quality sound insulation. Although this problem has existed for a long time, not everyone living in these houses tries to follow the basic rules of community life. Many people in apartments listen to loud music during the day, which prevents others from resting during the daytime on weekends or reading or writing on weekdays. It is possible to rein in a troublemaker, but it is not so easy.
Apartment house
Is it possible to listen to music loudly during the day in an apartment?
According to the 2021 law, you can listen to music on weekends and weekdays, but only on condition that the sound strength does not exceed 30 dB. However, taking into account the fact that the walls in apartment buildings are thin and conduct noise too well, the sound needs to be turned down lower. Otherwise there may be serious problems with neighbors.
No sounds can be heard
Although, according to the law, a music lover may be right, there is no point in quarreling with neighbors. The optimal solution may be to install high-quality sound insulation in your apartment or room.
What the legislation will tell you
In Russia there is a law “On Silence”. According to this law, loud music from neighbors, even during the daytime, should not exceed 40 dB in noise level. This is a fairly high bar: to understand what noise level we are talking about, you can imagine yourself being next to a car on which the alarm has gone off. In this case, the level is approximately 80 dB.
Why was the 40 dB limit introduced? Because the following has been proven: noise pollution harms health much more than passive smoking, as it plunges the body into a state of emotional stress. If your neighbors play loud music, they're not only a nuisance, they're also shortening your life.
Most often, neighbors justify their behavior by the fact that during the day there is no one in the apartment building anyway - people should be at work at this time. It is worth explaining to them that they are wrong: in modern Russia, a standardized five-day work week is used less and less and shift work and a flexible schedule are increasingly used. There are also more and more freelancers for whom their own apartment is their work space.
At night (that is, after 23:00) making noise and vibration is generally prohibited. You can complain either about the fact that your neighbor constantly listens to music in the dark, or about noise of a different nature.
- Scandals and quarrels. The noise level of swearing can reach 60 dB, but that’s not even the point: among screams of this kind, “words” always slip through, which are unpleasant for an adult citizen to hear, not to mention children.
- Solo singing and playing musical instruments.
- Whistling.
- Dog barking.
- Baby's crying and other sounds made by the baby. It is clear that few people complain about the crying of a newborn - here the moral side of the issue comes first. But the patter of small feet coming from above is the basis for complaints; Parents must find ways to calm their overly energetic children at night. Or at least think about sound insulation.
- Repair sounds - drilling, hammering, clatter caused by dragging bulky objects.
Advice: If your neighbors politely try to negotiate with you, warning you about their upcoming family celebration, you should meet them halfway. And someday there will be a holiday on your street - then they will give in to you.
Each person experiences noise levels differently. Some people are not bothered by even loud bass, while others wince at sounds that are clearly within the lower limits of the acceptable norm. Of course, a legal act cannot take into account the wishes of all citizens, therefore, according to sanitary standards, acceptable indicators are established for residential premises, exceeding the limits of which is fraught with fines and legal proceedings.
Noise standards for residential premises in an apartment building:
- During the daytime -40-55 dBA.
- At night - 30-45 dBA
Noise standards in the surrounding areas:
- During the daytime - 55-70 dBA.
- At night - 45-60 dBA
dBA - acoustic decibel. It is a unit of measurement of noise level, taking into account the characteristics of the perception of loud sounds by the human hearing aid.
As noted above, each region independently sets the period during which it is prohibited to play loud music. According to Law No. 42 of July 12, 2002 “On administrative responsibility for disturbing the peace and quiet of citizens at night in the city of Moscow,” the “silence” interval covers the period from 23.00 to 6.00 hours.
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Within the specified time, it is strictly forbidden to create noise both inside the apartment building and in the adjacent territory. Currently, amendments to the law are being considered, according to which noisy activities related to repairs or listening to songs loudly can be carried out from 9.00 to 19.00, with a mandatory break from 13.00 to 15.00.
Amendments have already been made in the Moscow region. According to the new edition dated April 28, 2015, silence cannot be broken:
- On weekends and holidays officially recognized as non-working days - from 22.00 to 10.00.
- On weekdays - from 21.00 to 8.00.
- During quiet hours, regardless of the day - from 13.00 to 15.00 hours.
If the established procedure is violated for the first time, the culprit will have to pay a fine of 1 to 3 thousand rubles. For breaking the law a second time, you will have to part with 4 thousand. The third time the amount will be 5 thousand. In comparison with many regions of Russia, these amounts are very affordable.
In St. Petersburg, it is prohibited to play loud music from 23.00 to 7.00. If a citizen has violated the law for the first time, he can get off with a warning. Recidivism is punishable by a fine in the amount of 2 to 4 times the minimum wage (minimum wage).
From January 1, 2021, the minimum wage in the city of St. Petersburg is 11,700 rubles. Thus, citizens who listen to melodies and songs too loudly will have to noticeably empty their wallets.
Let's give an example of a time frame when neighbors can play music loudly.
In Voronezh it is prohibited to make noise from 22.00 to 7.00.
In Nizhny Novgorod, neighbors cannot play loud music from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
In Yekaterinburg, neighbors who listen to songs from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. will be punished.
In Kazan, loud sounds are prohibited from 23.00 to 6.00.
So, citizens who listen to songs during the day can be sent on vacation to Kazan. As you can see, the rules there are the least strict.
Actions of a person who is forced to listen to loud music
Loud noise negatively affects brain function. The person becomes irritable and finds it difficult to concentrate on one thing.
Loud music during the day
The main sufferers from daytime noise are most often pregnant women, pensioners and people working night shifts.
Constant irritation will sooner or later cause aggression on the part of the neighbor, who is forced to listen to loud music or songs all day long.
If attempts to persuade a neighbor to turn down the music are unsuccessful, then the police and the judge are called to help. However, it will not be possible to force a music lover to maintain order legally. It is quite possible that one of the neighbors, enraged by the loud music, will decide to punish him personally.
When is it permissible to listen to songs?
This is an extreme measure, and music is hardly worth such sacrifices. No one can return lost health to a music lover. Therefore, you can listen to music, but it is better to do it either with headphones or at a low volume level.
Summarizing
If a person listens to music very loudly, no matter at night or during the day, and does not respond to requests to turn the volume down, this issue needs to be resolved by legal means. Don't forget that the silence law applies not only to city residents, but also to the private sector.
Everyone needs to get enough sleep regularly, and neighbors are obligated to respect this right of other residents.
Child learning to play the trumpet
If they make loud noise or listen to music, you need to find out the level of sound coming from their apartment or private house. To contact the relevant authorities, you can use the services of specialists. They will take measurements and draw up the necessary documents. You can call the police, file a lawsuit, but first you should try to negotiate peacefully with your neighbors.
How does a music lover perceive the situation?
A lover of loud music perceives neighbors' complaints as annoying noise, and often does not understand why he should turn down the volume. After all, he doesn't break the law. You can listen to music during the day, but at night he doesn’t turn it on.
High audibility
Such a person is outraged by why he should obey general rules and not act as he wants. This behavior is understandable, since the age of a music lover usually varies from 10 to 25 years. Most often this is an unemployed and familyless person.
It's not just loud music in the apartment that's annoying
A factor that can piss off neighbors is not only loud music, but also other noise. No one forbids behaving loudly in an apartment during the day, but this can also lead to conflict with neighbors. Screaming, knocking, stomping, howling of a dog or loud meowing of a cat, crying of children - all this can be annoying, especially if the noise is made regularly.
Silence standards in the Russian Federation 2021
How to deal with the problem?
If your neighbors listen to loud music during the day, and you absolutely do not like it, then the first thing you should do is try to solve the current problem through peaceful negotiations. Perhaps you will not only save yourself from the daily “music festival”, but also make new friends.
This, of course, is the best case scenario. Therefore, even if you really want to make friends with people living in neighboring apartments, we do not recommend achieving your goal by methodically disrupting the noise order in order to attract their attention. Believe me, not everyone loves cheerful music, and certainly only a few are delighted with the monstrous howls in karaoke, produced, undoubtedly, by creative individuals living in neighboring rooms. Therefore, before making claims to people who have loud music blaring, remember whether you allowed yourself to have similar precedents.
If negotiations, persuasion and explanations of the reasons for your satisfaction do not lead to the desired result, you will have to use other methods. Of course, they do not contradict the law. Therefore, in response to loud noises, you should not turn on even louder works. Often, it is the fighters for justice who, using such methods, are recognized as violators of order and punished with fines.
Do not forget that besides you and the annoying citizen, there are other people living in the house. And they are unlikely to like “musical competitions.” Someone will call the police. It will be impossible to prove that you have nothing to do with it. If there is a fact of violation, then it will be followed by a punishment procedure.
So what should you do if your neighbors are listening to the songs, but negotiations fail? Try calling the police. However, the truth of life is that the squad can arrive at the scene when the troublemakers are peacefully dozing in their beds. And if there is no noise, then it will not be possible to draw up a protocol. As long as they don't issue a false call. Unfortunately, this also happens.
A more accessible and rational step is to contact the local police officer. He can issue a warning to citizens who have loud music blaring during the day. If it doesn’t help, then next time they will be subject to penalties.
Alternative for music lovers
If you can’t listen to music in an apartment at full speaker power, then you should do this in a country house or in a private house. However, not everyone can afford it.
The simplest solution may be to buy headphones and listen to music through them, or to install increased sound insulation in the apartment. This is the only way to avoid a conflict situation due to listening to loud music and maintain peace with your neighbors.
Audibility of sounds
What the law says
The main law limiting the time during which noise can be made is considered to be Federal Law 54 “On Silence”. The law was first passed in 1999. In 2020 and 2021, the latest amendments were made regarding the time when noise can be made and the permissible sound level. The definition of noise, in accordance with the adopted legal act, includes the following:
- screaming, loud talking, crying;
- loud music;
- dog barking, meowing and other noises made by animals;
- sounds produced by household appliances;
- sounds produced by construction equipment and tools.
You can't make noise at night
The law specifies how long it is permissible to listen to loud music. In the regions it is from 7:00 to 21:00.
However, in many of them the time is from 8:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 22:00 on weekends. As, for example, in Moscow and the Moscow region.
In Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Tyumen, you can listen to music from 8:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and weekends. In Novosibirsk, the law sets this time from 8:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 9:00 to 20:00 on weekends.
If, except for weekends, there is no time for entertainment
In this case, it is better to do sound insulation first. During its construction, noise will also arise, but after this, most likely, there will be no problems with listening to loud music on weekends.
Early in the morning
At least no one will hear it unless it exceeds 42 decibels in volume. But in the case of disco and stomping, it might still bother someone. After all, vibration is transmitted, albeit less.
However, for many, it’s enough to just listen to music for a while in the apartment, without organizing concerts with karaoke, dancing and shouting. So, in many cases, soundproofing will allow you to have fun on the weekends without anyone noticing.
However, it is important to understand that some neighbors can sometimes be harmful. They may complain just because they know there's a slumber party going on.
Although there is no noise or other uncomfortable moments.
When is it permissible to listen to loud melodies?
This ultimately makes no sense and can create problems out of nowhere. According to the meaning of the 2021 silence law, the citizen is not violating anything here.
How optimal are the current restrictions?
Of course, a lot depends on the city and region as a whole. Naturally, in large cities they try to better monitor the noise level. This is due to the high load on the human psyche during the day.
Playing guitar in an apartment building
And even on a weekday, including Friday, it is important for him to have guaranteed time to rest in the apartment. Otherwise, the situation on the roads will suddenly become dangerous, as well as the situation on the streets
In small towns the issue is not so acute. Although there, of course, this point is regulated, listening to music at night is prohibited. It is possible that some of the current regulations will soon change. And such noise will be resolved at another time. Although compared to 2021 and even 2021, there are no significant changes now.
The difference in the legislation of regions when it is allowed to listen to music is explained solely by a coincidence of circumstances. For example, a greater number of complaints, restrictions were promoted more proactively. Perhaps someone wanted to improve their reputation with this law.
Allowable fines for breaking the law
Of course, these norms more or less correspond to medical ideas about the problem, but not completely. After all, the optimal time for sleep for an adult is from 22 to 6 hours or from 23 to 7 hours. So, listening to music loudly after 22 hours should ideally be prohibited everywhere. Moreover, children are advised to go to bed earlier, and therefore they should not listen to music after 21:00.
It is clear that complying with such restrictions is not easy. That's what soundproofing is for.
And it is always important to respect the well-being of your neighbors. At least so that they also show respect or at least try to do so
Illegality of playing too loud music
Even if there are no violations of the law on time, neighbors have the right to complain if songs are played too loudly. In this case, sanitary and epidemiological standards are violated, which is unacceptable at any time of the day.
Noisy neighbors
As long as you don't exceed 38-42 dB, everything is fine. For comparison, the noise from a car moving along the highway is plus or minus 60 decibels
But here it is important to understand that determining the volume level by ear is a subjective matter.
And if law enforcement officers arrive and think that music lower than 42 decibels is too loud, in a sense they will be right. Unless you have a device at hand that measures the volume level. Then it will be possible to prove that the law has not been broken.
Legal way to solve the problem
Typically, the relationship between a loud music lover and irritated neighbors looks like this:
- Warning. If the silence breaker is more or less adequate, he will reduce the volume or find a way to comply with the conditions of the hostel. For example, starting to listen to music through headphones.
- Call the police. Residents contact the police when warnings and exhortations do not work. This is rather an attempt to scare, since the police cannot bring administrative liability to the violator of the order. The law on silence does not allow noise from 9 pm to 7 am on weekdays and from 11 pm to 10 am on holidays and weekends, unless otherwise decided by local authorities.
- Rospotrebnadzor. He will have to determine the cause of the high noise level, the presence or absence of violations of GOST. Is the permissible level really exceeded, or is it all about the insufficient level of noise insulation of the building? Rospotrebnadzor must issue an appropriate document confirming or refuting the fact of violation of the law.
- Court. Neighbors can go to court. But to win, they need to collect evidence. In particular, conduct an examination of excess noise levels, assess how destructive the sound is to the condition of the building, and then sue the loud music lover.
When is it okay to make noise?
Winning a trial in such cases is difficult, but possible. In judicial practice, there are even cases where a tenant was evicted from an apartment due to listening to loud music during the day. But such cases are very rare. To do this, several victims must submit complaints and evidence of guilt to the court.
What to do for those who suffer from music
Residents of houses often violate the law regarding noise. Perhaps people did not think that there were special circumstances (neighbors work as musicians), or maybe they were simply indifferent to the comfort of those around them
It is important to know what can be done in such a situation
Until what time are you allowed to listen to melodies?
You can resolve the issue of loud music by appealing to the law and contacting law enforcement agencies. This will not be a problem in 2021. However, it is better not to do this unless necessary.
Otherwise, many neighbors will not understand this approach. Relationships with them may eventually deteriorate. First, you can talk to the violator of silence and law. If nothing comes of it and the concert continues, then it’s worth calling the police.
When is it okay to make noise?
Loud music outside the time established by law or too loud, or both, is a reason to contact law enforcement, even if it is a holiday and the street is noisy already in the morning.
When employees arrive, according to the 2021 law, they must accept the application. Then a fine will be issued. Otherwise, any measures against the violator are impossible
It is also important how many neighbors the music disturbs and what the number of signatures will be
Sound volume level
And if you call the police, it is also important to write a statement of complaint about how long your neighbors have been listening to music. Law enforcement officers have a lot to do, and it is not surprising that after refusing to write a statement, they will then be slower to respond to a call about loud music at the same address
After all, it is clear that the matter will again end in nothing, and the lawbreaker will continue to interfere with everyone.
There is, of course, an option to radically resolve the issue. You can move to a residential complex, where, in addition to the law, house rules also regulate how long residents listen to music.
In this case, discomfort is unlikely to occur. In addition, the sound insulation in such buildings is quite good. After all, these are new houses, built more or less according to modern standards. At least most of these buildings.
This can't be done at night
Another thing is that in such new buildings you may encounter excessive control. For example, if someone comes to visit, in some apartment complexes they will definitely ask who this person is going to see.
It turns out that the security guard in such a house ultimately has a lot of information about all the residents. And this is not against the law. So there are also disadvantages here.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the law on what hours and until what time you can make loud noise in an apartment does a good job of regulating the situation with music, but it is important to take other factors into account. Silence
Silence
Even if you can listen to music until late on a particular day, this does not mean that you should use this norm. Otherwise, relations with neighbors will inevitably deteriorate. In general, if you really want to listen to music without headphones, it is better to take care of noise insulation.