Is Your PA Loudness Lawful?

Is Your PA Set Properly for Your Church?

Is your church sound system too loud? More importantly, do you know what the legal and health limits are for the people inside your building as well as the people outside of it? Many churches spend thousands of dollars on microphones, speakers, digital consoles, amplifiers, and wireless systems, but very little time learning how to properly set and operate the system. A powerful PA system is not necessarily a good PA system. The goal should never be to see how loud we can make the room. The goal should be to provide clear, balanced, intelligible sound at a safe and appropriate level.

Do You Know Your Local Noise Ordinances?

Noise regulations can vary considerably from one county, city, or town to another. Some communities have specific requirements concerning sound levels, particularly when amplified sound can be heard outside of the building. A church may be operating completely within its own property and still receive a noise complaint if amplified sound exceeds local requirements. Don’t wait until you receive a complaint to find out what the law says. That’s why it is important to know:

• What noise ordinances apply to your church?
• Who is responsible for enforcing them?
• Where are sound levels measured?
• Are there different requirements for daytime and nighttime events?
• Does your church have neighbors who could be affected by amplified sound?
• Are there special requirements for outdoor services or events?

What About the People Inside Your Church?

Noise isn’t only an outside-the-building issue. Your PA system is being used around pastors, musicians, singers, volunteers, sound engineers, children, and congregation members—sometimes for several hours at a time. Excessive sound levels can create unnecessary risks to hearing, particularly when people are exposed repeatedly or for extended periods.

A sound engineer should understand that “It doesn’t hurt” does not necessarily mean “It is safe.”

Your church’s sound system should be operated with consideration for the people standing directly in front of the speakers, the musicians on stage, the volunteers working around the system, and the congregation sitting in the room.

Your PA May Be Loud Because It Isn’t Set Properly

Here’s something many churches don’t realize, sometimes the solution to excessive volume isn’t turning the system down. It’s setting the system up correctly. Poor gain structure, improper speaker placement & volume, excessive equalization, feedback problems, uncontrolled monitor levels, and incorrect system tuning can all lead engineers to continually turn things up in an attempt to achieve clarity. That can create a cycle:

Poor system setup → poor clarity → more volume → more problems → even more volume.

A properly configured PA should allow you to achieve clarity without unnecessary volume.

How Loud Should Your Church Be?

There isn’t one universal volume setting that is appropriate for every church. The appropriate level depends on many factors, including the size and acoustics of the building, speaker placement, speaker coverage, the type of service or event, the number of people in the room, the length of exposure, the location where sound levels are measured, local noise regulations & the needs of the congregation. This is why simply saying, “We always run the PA at this level,” isn’t really a sound-system safety plan. Your system should be evaluated based on the environment in which it is being used.

Your Sound Engineer Has a Big Responsibility

Operating a church PA isn’t simply about pushing faders. A good sound engineer needs to understand gain structure, EQ, compression, speaker coverage, monitor levels, feedback control, system tuning, and sound-level management. But there is another responsibility that is sometimes overlooked, knowing when enough is enough. The best sound engineers aren’t necessarily the ones who can make the system the loudest, they are the ones who can make the system clear, powerful, balanced, and controlled without creating unnecessary risk.

Measure It—Don’t Guess

One of the biggest recommendations I can make to churches is simple, “Don’t guess how loud your PA is. Measure it”. A sound-level meter can give your sound team objective information about what is actually happening in the room. Instead of saying “I think we’re probably okay”, you can say “We measured the system, we know our levels, and we understand our local requirements.” That is a much better position for a church to be in.

Does Your Church Know Its Requirements?

If your church has never discussed its local noise ordinance or established a procedure for monitoring sound levels, now is a good time to start. Your church should know:

1. What laws and ordinances apply to your location.

2. What sound levels are appropriate for your building and event.

3. Where sound levels should be measured.

4. Who is responsible for monitoring them.

5. How the sound team should respond if levels become excessive.

6. How the PA system should be configured to provide maximum clarity without unnecessary volume.

This Isn’t About Turning Your Church Sound Down

This is an important distinction. I’m not saying that every church should have a quiet PA. I’m saying that every church should understand its sound system. You should be able to turn your system up when the situation requires it—but you should also know how to keep it under control. A properly designed and properly operated PA can sound full, powerful, clear, and professional without simply being excessively loud.

The Questions Every Church Should Be Asking

• Is your PA loudness lawful?
• Is your PA set properly for your church?
• Do you know what your local noise ordinance requires?
• Do you know what sound levels your congregation and sound team are being exposed to?

And perhaps most importantly, if someone asked you today to prove that your sound system was being operated responsibly, could you? That’s why I created a video on this subject. The response to the video has been incredible, and it tells me that churches and sound engineers are looking for more information about this important subject. Your PA system is a tool. Learn how to use it properly. Know the rules. Protect the people in your building. Respect your neighbors. And most importantly—don’t guess when you can measure.

I teach churches how to properly understand and operate their sound systems, including Behringer X32, M32, and WING systems. My goal is simple: help churches get better sound through better knowledge and better system operation. Please check out the video below to see what happens if you don’t have the information you need concerning your loudness.