ST. PETERSBURG -- Good news for city dwellers who hate loud noises.

The city passed a new noise ordinance today that uses a barely audible standard. That means police officers can now determine what exactly too loud means based on what they hear.

Before, police had to use noise meters to determine whether someone was breaking the city's noise ordinance. But they complained the noise meters made enforcement difficult because the devices are subjective to environmental factors like wind and rain.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer