The Aspen City Council has approved a new law that will require construction contractors to keep the noise down in the summertime as part of an effort to get people to spend more time outdoors.

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) The Aspen City Council has approved a new law that will require construction contractors to keep the noise down in the summertime as part of an effort to get people to spend more time outdoors in warmer months.

The measure could require builders to put up sound-blocking walls.

Trish Aragon, Aspen's city engineer, said the city has been working on the new noise standard for about a year.

She said some contractors have already been following the tighter standards.

Temporary sound-blocking walls were used in Aspen near the Pitkin County Courthouse as a part of the recent Galena Plaza work and at several residential construction projects, the Aspen Daily News reported.

Noise from construction sites is measured at the property line.

The new rules are part of the city's regular updates to construction management rules. Last summer, contractors were required to file plans to reduce landfill waste and minimize traffic and parking. They were also ordered to limit detours on streets and sidewalks.

To enforce the rules, two additional seasonal construction mitigation officers have been hired.

As a result, the number of violations issued to contractors went up 18 percent, and citizen complaints dropped 80 percent.

For more information, visit http://www.aspendailynews.com.

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