Colorado Supreme Court walks back decision allowing local governments to broadly permit violations of state noise limits

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that the state’s noise pollution law does not allow local governments to categorically permit any entity to host events on private property that exceed the statewide decibel limits.

The question had divided the state’s Court of Appeals, with one appellate panel deciding localities possess broad permitting power for private property, and another deciding months later that they do not.

Breaking the tie, the Supreme Court acknowledged the language of the law is ambiguous. But taking account of lawmakers’ stated goals, the justices concluded the legislature intended to allow local governments, on property they use, to permit others to exceed statewide noise limits for cultural or entertainment events.

“No one suggested that the exemption would