New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Chapter 29 - NOISE CONTROL
Subchapter 2 - PROCEDURES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF NOISE FROM STATIONARY SOURCES
Section 7:29-2.1 - Definitions

The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the text clearly indicates otherwise. Terms not defined in this section are intended to be used as defined in the New Jersey Control Act, 13:1G-1 et seq., and in this chapter, or are used in their common or engineering sense.

"A-weighted sound level" means the sound level in decibels, reported as measured by a sound level measuring instrument having an "A"-weighting network which discriminates against the lower frequencies according to a relationship approximating the auditory sensitivity of the human ear. The level so read is designated dBA.

"Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection.

"Duty cycle" means the period of time for one operating cycle for equipment which cycles periodically at a regular rate; e.g., five minutes on, 10 minutes off equals a 15 minute duty cycle.

"Extraneous sound" means an intermittent sound which is neither neighborhood residual sound nor sound from the source under investigation.

"Facility" means land and/or buildings used for commercial or industrial operations which produce the sound under investigation.

"Neighborhood residual sound level" means that measured value which represents the summation of the sound from all of the discrete sources affecting a given site at a given time, exclusive of extraneous sound and the sound from the source of interest.

"Noise" means, for purposes of this procedure, any sound which is not in conformance with the provisions of this chapter.

"Octave" means any two frequencies whose ratio is exactly two to one.

"Octave band" means a spectrum of sound frequencies between band edge frequencies an octave apart. For purposes of this procedure, octave band frequencies are as specified in Table 1, Page 11, of ANSI S1.11-1966 (R-1976) "specifications for octave, half-octave and third-octave band filter sets" (see 7:29-2.12(a)1 ) .

"Sound level meter" means an instrument which is used to measure sound pressure level, sound level, octave band sound pressure level, or maximum sound level, separately or in combination and which conforms to the requirements set forth at 7:29-2.6(a)1 for such meters.

"Sound source" means any person, animal, device, equipment, operation, process, activity, or phenomenon that emits or causes sound.

"Sound spectrum" means the description of the resolution of a sound into its frequency and amplitude components.

"Steady state sound" means a sound whose level remains constant during measurement.

"Total sound level" means that measured level which represents the summation of the sounds from the source under investigation and the neighborhood residual sound level, excluding any extraneous sound, when measured on the property of an affected person.

"Wind screen" means a device recommended by the manufacturer as a microphone cover to reduce the effect of wind.