Last month, the new noise regulations which went into affect were covered here at No Fryers. In response, a reader wrote:
Unfortunately it doesn’t cover neighbours with drum kits who allow their kids to play them on erev shabbat just as we are sitting down to eat and at other very inconvenient times of the day. Do you have any laws that can prevent this?
What could have been
In celebration of the new noise regulations coming into force, the Council for the Prevention of Noise and Air Pollution in Israel (MALRAZ) had a lot of space devoted to it in Maariv which included this potentially very helpful update:
נגינה והשמעה
עד היום:
אסור בין השעות 14:00 – 16:00 ואחרי השעה 23:00
החל ממחר:
אסור לנגן או להשמיע מוזיקה באופן שמטריד את השכנים לאורך כל שעות היממה
Sadly, I was unable to find this anywhere in the text of the new regulations or the detailed list of updates to the old regulations.
No change
After contacting MALRAZ and speaking with the staff there, it seems that this clause was slated to be changed to mirror the text in Maariv. However, at the last minute, the changed clause was yanked from the regulations, too late to make any changes in the newspaper article.
So, below is the relevant clause, as published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Noise by sound generating devices
3. a) A person shall not sing nor shout nor operate a musical instrument, a radio receiver or television and shall not make noise by means of a record player, a speaker, an amplifier or sound generating devices and the like between the hours of 14:00 and 16:00 and between the hours 23:00 and 07:00 of the next day, in a residential area in one of these places:
- In the open air;
- In a place which is not in the open air but which is not closed from all sides towards the outside, or whose doors, windows or other openings are not all closed;
- In a structure that has residential units (hereafter – residential building).
b) The provisions of subregulation (a) shall not apply to an action carried out by way of a party or celebration during one of these holidays:
- [Eve] of Independence Day;
- Eve of Purim;
- Eve of a [day of rest] and night of a [day of rest] – till midnight;
- Eve of Jerusalem Day.
Besides your afternoon siesta, it seems you have to rely on the consideration of your neighbors until 23:00 on weekdays or midnight on Fridays. Let’s savor the additional peace and quiet we’ve gained from restrictions on construction, renovation, gardening equipment, and leaf blowers, and we can hope that the rest of the law to honor quiet in the home will catch up soon.
My issue goes the opposite way, my neighbors would like it to be illegal for little children to be outside at all at any time of day. They have complained that we make noise and bother them all day and that we live on a “quiet block with no children.” When the fact is that we live next door to 2 Ganim, there are 8 families block of which 3 have 5 or more children and the rest have 3 under the age of 6. Unfortunately for my delusional neighbor, I’m glad to have some proof that little children playing between the hours of 4 and 7:30pm (which is really the only time they are ever outside) is not on the list of prohibited noises!
The giggles and laughter of little children are indeed permitted here in Israel, Ayelet! I am glad that the information is helpful to you.