A citywide crackdown on illegally loud bars, restaurants and nightclubs will take place during the coming months, the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration announced today.

The Noise Task Force will conduct unannounced compliance checks with a sound meter, between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., to see if ABC establishments are keeping the noise down.

The Noise Control Act prohibits individuals and businesses from generating noise outside their property that exceeds maximum noise levels of 60 decibels in commercial or light-manufacturing zones at nighttime. Other limits include 55-70 decibels depending on the area and time of day.

ABRA also sent letters this week to ABC licensees notifying them of the Noise Task Force’s plans and reminding them of what the law says.

The recently formed DC Nightlife Noise Coalition has been extremely vocal in asking the city to enforce noise laws, specifically in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. According to their site, they’re not satisfied with the latest solution.

A standing start. At an ANC ABRA Committee meeting, an ABRA investigator person came to tell about the new thing with the Noise Task Force. He droned on about meetings, and inter-agency cooperation, and the present process for finding noise violations. An audience member posed a hypothetical situation: an ABRA investigator walking down the street in clubland hears music coming out of a licensed establishment. What does he do? If the door is open, ask the owner to close it. OK, now the music can still be heard on the other side of the street; what next? Ask the owner to turn the volume down. And if the owner refuses? …. Answer: That’s a DCRA problem. A police lietenant in the audience said the police would not cite the owner either because they would need a complicated procedure with a sound meter to establish “ambient” as a baseline. The ABRA part of the NoiseTask Force is off to a standing start. Meanwhile, all three members of the committee said that many residents complain about the noise.

“We have been urging city officials to take action for months,” ANC Commissioner from Ward 2 and Dupont Circle resident Abigail Nichols said in a release. “Finally, Mayor Gray informed us on February 20 that the Noise Task Force would restart its enforcement efforts and that our neighborhood would be one of the first areas targeted. That was three weekends ago. How long do we need to wait for city officials to enforce the law?”

People who want to file a noise complaint may do so here or call 202-329-6347.