Tbilisi prepares to impose noise restrictions

Making an excessive noise during the day or in the evenings could soon be a punishable act in Tbilisi.

The Parliament of Georgia is making moves to approve a bill to regulate noise control, initiated by Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo).

The noise regulations, developed by Tbilisi Sakrebulo, will be sent to Parliament on March 9. Parliament will debate the bill and if approved, the law will come into effect in October 2015.

Head of the Sakrebulo’s Legal Commission Tedo Kobakhidze said the regulations declared excessive noise as an activity that disturbed humans or harmed their health. It is widely known over exposure to loud noises can damage a person’s hearing.

According to the new law, those responsible for noises that exceeded 40 dB during the day or 30 dB at night would be punished.

If noise levels were exceeded between 7am and 9pm, an individual could be fined 150 GEL and a business could be fined 500 GEL. Similarly, if noise restrictions were exceeded between 9pm and 7am, the fines would increase up to 300 GEL for an individual and 1,000 GEL for legal entities.

The penalties would be doubled if parties – either individual or businesses – repeatedly flouted the law.

Kobakhidze noted if the new bill was approved by Parliament the law will come into force on October 1, 2015. The time until then will be used to inform the public about the new law, he stated.

The Patrol Police will be responsible for enforcement of the law and will issue infringement fines if noise levels are exceeded.

"The police will immediately issue a fine to the offending place. The patrol crew will be trained and equipped with special mobile tools that will determine the scale of noise,” Kobakhidze noted.

Fireworks will be exempt from the new regulations.