EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — Following the recent storms that have provided certain areas of Utah with much-needed snowfall, one neighborhood is divided over the proper etiquette for snow removal.
The conversation began with one man’s post in a Facebook group asking if 4 a.m. is an acceptable time to use his snowblower. It's an appropriate question all across the state and several factors are considered for its answer.
"I thought about getting a snowblower and I was getting into the same thought process like, if I do it, would they get mad", asked resident Nicole Raab.
Obviously, shovels aren’t as loud as snowblowers, but even then, the scrape could still wake up light sleepers.
In Eagle Mountain, residents say there are two factors to consider: what are neighbors are okay with and what city codes that are in place?
Eagle Mountain has a noise ordinance from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, but some homeowners say they have to start in the early morning.
"There’s a lot of people that work. My husband gets out of the house at 5:30 a.m. and after that, I get off. So when do I have time to shovel? 7 p.m.? Because when I get home it’s already hard," said Raab.
City spokesperson Taylor Maffitt says a snowblower’s decibel levels are too high for quiet hours. He says the city is reasonable and acknowledges snow removal is important for homeowners.
"Our neighborhood improvement department is not going to go around citing people who are engaging in otherwise reasonable behaviors, especially in light of major winter storms that we’ve seen here in January," said Maffitt.
A gas snowblower averages around 106 decibels, which the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association labels as an “extremely loud dangerous to hearing” level.
Battery-powered snowblowers are quieter than gas versions, but city code says the noise cap is 65 decibels, which is the sound of a dishwasher or a typical conversation.
"Just because somebody may be making noise at an odd hour, it doesn’t mean they’re behaving unreasonably even though we have hour parameters in place to accommodate things like this," Maffitt added.
It's also a safety hazard if sidewalks are left untouched, and for some parents, they'd sacrifice the sleep for safety.
"It’s still dark in the morning when kids are walking to school, so the earlier you can remove the obstructions from the sidewalks and driveways I think just provides better safety for our children in general," said resident Mariam Rogers.
In the end, the best answer to how early is too early can be answered with neighborly conversation.
"I think it’s courteous to talk to your neighbors," said Rogers. "Ask them. If they’re really concerned, try to be respectful of that. But at the end of the day, be a kind human being. Don’t make a bigger deal out of something that doesn’t need to be."
