Officials in Fairfield voted to approve a new noise ordinance that has been the subject of debate in the town.

Raucous cars and pounding party music are a few of the headaches that made some people ask local officials to do something about the loud noises.

"It's so disruptive," said Christine Pakkala, of Fairfield. "It is so loud, and they do that work early in mornings and late in the evening."

The co-sponsor of the bill says Fairfield needs to have a law that is at least as strict as the state's but until now, the local noise ordinance law has only applied at night— not during the day.

When efforts to craft a new around-the-clock policy met opposition, Democratic representatives rewrote the bill, carving out a number of exceptions for festivals, public concerts, sporting events and more.

"I do think there was a lot of misunderstanding about it because it touches a button of government regulation and people wanting to do what they want to do," said Representative Town Meeting member Jill Vergara, District 7.

Police will be allowed to determine what's too loud without the use of a decibel meter.

Lawnmowers and leaf blowers will be exempt from noise limits from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on the weekends.