HBA-TBM H.B. 665 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 665 By: Bailey County Affairs 4/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Noise in some residential areas is a growing problem. Currently, the City of Houston has a comprehensive noise ordinance, while the remainder of Harris County, a large portion of which is residential districts, does not. House bill 665 authorizes the commissioners court of Harris County to regulate sound levels in the unincorporated portions of the county. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 665 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county with a population of more than 2.8 million to regulate sound levels in the unincorporated area of the county. The bill delineates the permissible regulations of sound levels and exemptions to noise regulations. The bill authorizes the commissioners court of the county to require a permit to use a device that exceeds the specified noise levels. The bill provides guidelines for the issuance of permits and the collection of fees in conjunction with those permits. The bill authorizes a county to sue in the district court for an injunction to prohibit the violation or threatened violation of a noise regulation and provides that a violation of a noise regulation is a Class C misdemeanor and a subsequent offense is a Class B misdemeanor. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.