This all started with downtown food cart and event hub, Common Fields, and a neighbor that was not digging their music. We’ll get into those specifics in a minute. But for now, dig that City Councilors heard their first preview of a newly revised amplified noise ordinance on Thursday.
The proposed draft came from the Corvallis Police Department. Councilors had asked for it back in September.
Here’s what’s being proposed. For areas downtown where Common Fields is located, the max allowable decibels during the day would be 70 dBA, which is comparable to the noise from a vacuum cleaner or washing machine. At night, the limit would be 65 dBA, which is roughly equivalent to a conversation or the sound of traffic. That may not sound workable for an outdoor venue like Common Fields.
But here’s the big change. Corvallis currently measures sound from where it comes from. The new ordinance would measure sound at the nearest RECEIVING property line, and in this instance, in an area zoned for mixed use, that wouldn’t be just any property line, but a residential property line.
Common Fields owner Jacob Oliver says, “My initial thoughts after reading through the proposal is that this seems very comprehensive and fair and they took some time to really think about the best solution.” Oliver also said he believes measuring decibels at the receiving property line is a more sensible approach and more helpful for the community.
The proposed ordinance defines nighttime limits between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am. Additional to decibel limits for mixed use zones like downtown, the proposed ordinance sets limits for residential areas as 65 dBA during days and 60 dBA in the evenings, with respective limits in industrial areas being 10 dBA higher.
For greater decibel levels, event organizers can still apply for one-time amplified sound permits, but the language gets some minor updates, essentially for legal purposes. Likewise, some of the language concerning noise from speech gets cleaned up to ensure there are no limitations on the content of speech, only the volume.
Enforcement would continue to be complaint based. Sound measurement would be conducted using an A-weighted scale, slow response setting, and a minimum average period of 60 seconds. We don’t know what any of that means. But Corvallis Police sure sound like they do, and they also said the equipment they’ll need can come out of their existing budget.
What’s not addressed
Ward 6 Councilor Alison Bowden asked police staff about enforcing amplified sound ordinances at Oregon State University. According to Corvallis Police, that may not be possible at the moment as the campus has its own police department and rules.
Ward 1 Councilor Jan Napack asked about noise from HVAC compressors and leaf blowers and such. Constituents have become increasingly concerned about these sources of noise. Mayor Charles Maughan indicated that would not be a discussion for now as Council had only requested staff come back with recommendations pursuant to amplified sound.
How we got here
On Sept. 15, 2025, the City Council voted to suspend enforcement of Corvallis’ noise ordinances at businesses located in commercial spaces. And, like we said, they also asked staff to come back with a review and recommendations, which they now have.
Here’s why that happened: Local coppers showed up at Common Fields last September, and were like, you don’t have to shutdown the party, but that music volume needs to go way-way-way down. Like, basically, off. Corvallis Police, it turns out, were responding to a call from a neighbor. In Corvallis, police don’t usually initiate noise ordinance enforcement, generally, someone has to call in a complaint.
And, well, one particular resident had been doing just that since March, and police had been trying to work it out with Common Fields ever since. Like, we’re talking twelve complaints in six months from the neighbor.
But then. Then came that call in September. Back then, Corvallis Police Captain Ryan Eaton told us that when officers arrived at Common Fields, the music was so loud, they couldn’t carry on a conversation with the place’s staff. On the way there, the officers could hear the music blaring from blocks away.
Like, they really couldn’t do nothing, because laws. So, the officers issued a Special Response Notice, which is basically a warning that can be used as the basis for civil penalties.
After that, Common Fields announced over social media that they would need to shut down, at least until they could get some relief from the noise ordinance. And when they did that they also took the unusual step of stating plainly that it’s live events that keep the business afloat.
A petition was started, City Councilors were contacted, widespread love for what Common Fields does was expressed communitywide. As it turns out, many on the Council share that love. That vote to suspend amplified sound ordinances for businesses while something got worked out, was unanimous.
What’s next
This is our analysis. Barring vociferous objections from the general or business community, the revised amplified sound ordinance will likely go to a Council business meeting for a vote as early next month. But if there are any revisions beforehand, it would of course take a little longer.
We suspect this will pass, possibly with some minor changes. Even if the changes mean it needs further staff work, it will probably still come back to the Council fairly soon.
There could be an attempt to add provisions about leaf blowers, chainsaws and HVAC systems and the like. We doubt the Council majority will have much appetite for that at present. In our opinion, however, they should also deal with these issues as well, even if only separately later this year.
If Council chooses not to address machinery noise in the next year, we think voters may want to consider organizing to force the issue, which in short, is something we may ultimately support.
By Mike Suarez
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com