Barrie By-law 2006-140, s. 3 — Technical Definitions “Ambient sound level” means Background sound level

Technical Definitions “Ambient sound level” means Background sound level.

“Background sound level” is the sound level that is present in the environment, produced by noise sources other than the source under impact assessment. Highly intrusive short duration noise caused by a source such as an aircraft fly-over or a train pass-by is excluded from the determination of the background sound level. “Class 1 Area” means an area with an acoustical environment typical of a major population center, where the background noise is dominated by the urban hum. “Class 2 Area” means an area with an acoustical environment that has qualities representative of both Class 1 and Class 3 Areas, and in which a low ambient sound level, normally occurring only between 23:00 and 07:00 hours in Class 1 Areas, will typically be realized as early as 19:00 hours. By-law 2006-140 51 Office Consolidation The Corporation of the City of Barrie Noise By-law Other characteristics which may indicate the presence of a Class 2 Area include:

•  absence of urban hum between 19:00 and 23:00 hours;
•  evening background sound level defined by natural environment and infrequent human activity;
• and  no clearly audible sound from stationary sources other than from those under impact assessment. “Class 3 Area” means a rural area with an acoustical environment that is dominated by natural sounds having little or no road traffic, such as the following:
•  a small community with less than 1000 population:
•  agricultural area;
•  a rural recreational area such as a cottage or a resort area;
• or  a wilderness area. Other technical terms are defined in Reference [1] and in the Annex to Publication NPC-