Environmental Nuisance Ordinance
The model Environmental Nuisance Control Ordinance would provide municipalities with clear, enforceable local standards to protect residents from excessive noise, intrusive lighting, air pollution, offensive odors, vibrations, water pollution, and other environmental nuisances that can impact public health and quality of life.
Rather than targeting any single industry or property owner, the ordinance establishes fair, uniform standards that apply equally to all residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional, and industrial activities. It creates objective performance standards, a complaint and enforcement process, and reasonable exemptions for temporary activities such as construction projects and community events.
The ordinance is designed to preserve a municipality's way of life while allowing responsible development to occur. It is grounded in a municipal authority's police powers and their duty to protect constituents, especially through the Pennsylvania Constitution, which recognizes every Pennsylvanian's right to clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the Commonwealth's natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values.
By adopting this ordinance, municipalities would have a proactive tool to address environmental nuisances before they become long-term community problems, helping ensure that future growth and development occur in a manner that protects both residents and the Township's unique rural heritage.