Updated Nyack Law Combats Late-Night Noise

Downtown Nyack gets loud most weekend nights.

A mix of bar music and late-night revelers hollering has irked residents and business owners for some time, driving some of them in front of the village board with pleas to crack down on the din.

And per a new noise ordinance passed last Thursday night, the downtown may see more quiet nights. The ordinance aims to "protect and improve the quality of life", and was subject to a handful of public hearings.

Merchants like Jack Dunnigan, who owns , said the noise—mixed with by bar-hoppers—is a hassle. One resident told Nyack lawmakers "there are nights when [he] can’t hold a conversation in [his] bedroom it's so loud."

"The law will keep establishments downtown from having noise spill out," explained Walter Sevastian, Nyack's village attorney.

The legislation says a bar with music, a band or other loud devices may not allow the sound to extend to the curb line between midnight and 7 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The law also cracks down on sounds that disturb adjacent and above neighbors during the same hours. Penalties entail a fine of up to $500 for the first offense, $1,500 for the second and $2,500 for the third.

"Each day's continued violation shall constitute a violation," the law reads.

In the past, the village tried and a "good neighbor" policy between bars to axe the noise; both were unsuccessful.