Can you do forbid the ringing of the bell of a church ?

The bells of the church of your city or your village will ring on all days and at all hours. You have asked the mayor to stop this noise nuisance. Can you force them to ban these ringtones ?

Since the law of separation of Churches and State of 9 December 1905 it is the mayor who regulates the ringing of church bells, and that, in case of disagreement with the authority of worship, is addressed to the prefect, who must decide. In its decisions, the municipal official must reconcile the exercise of his power and the respect of the freedom of religion. It can not, therefore, oppose these rings, except for reasons relating to public order or when the dilapidated state of the tower would make the use dangerous to the public safety.

The bell tower rings every hour, from 7 hours to 22 hours ? Such a ring does not affect the public order. The mayor may require it to start later, at 8 hours, for example, to finish earlier, at 19 hours, but it can not completely ban ringtones. A priori, the bishopric should not oppose this as they resound for a number of hours more restricted. On the other hand, we do not recommend that you enter the courts. You will never get the total cessation of the bells of the church.

local use that can be negotiated

For evidence, a judgment of the Council of State of may 11, 1994 (no. 137612). In the present case, an owner required that the mayor intervene to stop the ringing from 7 in the morning. The administrative law judge has considered that the mayor had not committed any error of law by refusing to respond to this request. The judgment was upheld by the Council of State, which stated that "the ringing of the angelus has, by its origin, a religious character, and, even if the practice had been discontinued for many years, it has the character of a local use to which the inhabitants of the commune are attached".

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A local custom that the mayor may decide to ban from one day to the next day at the request of a few administered disgruntled. So, you have any interest in negotiating with the town hall and even make an appointment with the bishop to find a common ground.