Tuba player calls for noise measurements in a Zurich court
Keystone-SDA
A Swiss tuba player’s bid to overturn a noise pollution ban has fallen on deaf ears in court. The musician failed to convince the judge to measure the noise impact of his instrument.
He demanded an official measurement to define what constitutes unreasonable noise. A previous measurement had been carried out together with health insuranrance firm Suva. The test picked up the noise of a tractor and a woodpecker, but not the sound of his tuba, the musician argued.
But the Uster District Court rejected his request, ruling that volume alone is not the decisive factor when determining whether a particular sound is unreasonable.
The tuba player has been in a long-running dispute with the local council, which has banned him from playing music on public land. He received complaints for playing outside a local shooting range between Swiss National Day August 1, 2025 and March 24, 2026.
The musician told the court that it was always just one neighbour who complained. He claimed that his tuba was quieter than other noises in the neighbourhood.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
