Throughout this review, we received feedback from close to 400 residents about the city's noise bylaw. Here is a summary of what we learned and what steps we have taken to incorporate the feedback.

What we learned: Residents want the bylaw to be more clear and simple to understand.
What we did: Updated the bylaw with clearer definitions, removed redundancies and made it easier to apply for an exemption.

What we learned: Residents are frustrated with noise from vehicles, particularly those with modified mufflers.
What we did: Thoroughly reviewed industry practices and legal standards related to vehicle exhaust noise. We found there are currently no clear provincial policies or objective standards. Because of this, it would be difficult to create fair and transparent standards for regulating vehicle noise in Waterloo.

What we learned: Some residents want stricter enforcement and higher fines for noise violations.
What we did: We reviewed our fines and found they are consistent with other bylaw charges, supporting a standardized approach. As a result, we recommended to Council that the fees remain the same.

At the May 26 Council Meeting, Council approved the updated noise bylaw to provide greater clarity for residents, adding new definitions and updating the noise exemption process reducing timelines, revising the fee structure and simplifying the process for smaller community events.

Read the full noise bylaw update report, starting on page 68.