HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A new noise ordinance in Hollywood will go into effect on May 1 and part of it focuses on vacation rentals.
Homeowners on North 31st Court in Hollywood can’t wait. They say they never know what kind of night it will be and they say they are tired of the “party house.”
There are nights one resident next door to the house can’t sleep in her master bedroom because it backs up to the pool area of the house.
Neighbor Maurice Baum said, “It is a nightmare.”
Lila Cifuntes said: “You get woken up in the middle of the night. Numerous times. Sometimes there is even drag racing going on down the street.”
“The other night there were 11 cars and 15 people and they were in the pool making a lot of noise,” Barry Hauser said.
It’s the vacation rental on 31st Court that has changed this once quiet street.
Residents tell us every night there are different cars and different people.
“You can’t go to a hotel and have parties until 3 or 4 in the a.m. They have a time period,” Baum said.
But the countdown is on. On May 1, Hollywood code enforcement and police will begin enforcing a strict new ordinance.
[RELATED: Read the new ordinance here.]
Joann Hussey, the communications manager for the city of Hollywood, said that the changes were community driven.
“The city heard from individuals residents, businesses and neighbor associations,” Hussey said.
A section of the new ordinance focuses directly on vacation rentals. Hollywood is now requiring rentals to be equipped with a noise level detection device. Warning signs need to be posted in the rental warning renters of the noise ordinance.
“The device itself is not listening to what people are saying or recording. It’s recording the level at which they are saying it.
Hussey said the data is saved and it must be saved for 180 days and must be available upon request from the city.
The noise detection device must alert the property owner to noise emanating from their rental. At night, that means nothing louder than 55 decibels. That’s a normal conversation or background music.
Rentals in Hollywood are required to have a license. And as part of that process, code officers will tell owners where to put the noise level devices. They may have to have a device by the pool or the common areas or outside of a bedroom, Hussey said that it depends on the property.
Residents are still a bit skeptical.
“Will it solve the problem? I don’t know. But it is a step in the right direction,” Baum said.
Violate the noise ordnance and a vacation rental owner will be fined $250 for the first offense and $500 for each citation after that. The noise ordinance also deals with businesses in downtown Hollywood and businesses on Hollywood Beach.
Here are some of the updates made by the city of Hollywood this year for vacation rental properties.
On January 20, 2021, the city made a number of important changes to the existing vacation rental license program ordinance. Changes include a requirement that all vacation rental properties in the city of Hollywood must register and obtain a vacation rental license from the city of Hollywood, in addition to obtaining a state license. Additional requirements include:
- Installation of a noise level detection device at the property
- Posting of additional information onsite
- Reduced occupancy in some instances
- Parking limitations
- Additional trash container requirements based on capacity
- Submission of liability insurance
The city established a deadline of March 1st, 2021 for existing vacation rental operators to come into compliance with these new regulations. Property owners are strongly encouraged to review the updated vacation rental license program ordinance to familiarize themselves with these new regulations to avoid penalties, citations, daily fines, license suspension and/or license revocation.
And below is further information about the noise level detection device.
Vacation Renewal shall be equipped with a noise level detection device alerting the property owner/representative and tenants to noise emanating from the Vacation Rental, and (ii) all data produced by this device will be retained for a period of 180 days and made available to the City upon request.
A statement advising the occupant that that the volume of noise generated at the Vacation Rental is limited by the City Noise Ordinance. A noise level detection device alerting the property owner/representative and tenant shall be installed in every Vacation Rental.
The City’s noise ordinance must be fully complied with, and (iii) the property is monitored by a noise level detection device.