TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Residents in Troy are asking for relief from low-frequency bass booming from a neighbor. That neighbor is Wisdom City Church on Wattles Road, which is bordered by homes in Stone Haven Woods subdivision.
Music fills the sanctuary during services, but neighbors living just feet away say that booming bass is rattling their homes and ruining their peace.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
It’s a sound neighbors said they simply can’t escape.
After months of no resolve, several residents took the issue to Troy City Hall. They voiced their concerns to city council members who they hope can strike a balance between freedom of worship and their rights to peace and quiet.
"Constantly having that loud bass hearing from your house is, I think, it’s very annoying. Very annoying," Resident Roger Li told 7 News Detroit. "It’s actually predictable. It’s on schedule. It’s not like once in a while maybe we can tolerate it, but this is constant, every Sunday, every Wednesday kind of thing."
When neighboring Wisdom City Church plays worship music, beyond the noise, residents told us they can actually feel the vibrations right through their walls, even on some weeknights.
"It’s very disturbing," Bo Jin told 7 News Detroit. "Throughout the day, it’s difficult to concentrate."
"It’s low frequency but very loud."
She's among several residents who voiced their concerns at Monday's city council meeting. The group of four said they represented 18 households.
During public comment, Tad Roumayah told council members "it's been almost a year now. It's like living next to a concert venue."
"Many of us are also Christian and we attend church," he said. "We go to church. The bass is booming. We come home from church, the bass is booming for hours longer."
The city of Troy said they hear the neighbors’ concerns loud and clear, but enforcing a noise ordinance on the relatively new place of worship has proven difficult.
"The Troy Police Department has been receiving noise complaints since September of 2025, and our officers have been responsive to those complaints. They gone out, but every time they have been out to the church, they have not heard (anything) that warrants an excessive noise citation," Courtney Flynn, Troy's communications director, told 7 News Detroit.
Jin said,“(Officers) did came to my house. They said ‘oh, I don’t hear anything.' I said, 'Yes, because it’s 30 minutes late.'”
Flynn said the police department is actively working with both the residents and the church to try and strike a chord of compromise.
"We, as a city, are trying to take a holistic approach to this to ensure residents are heard but also that we are respecting the worship rights of the church," she explained.
Jin said, "I just hope (they) stop before they can make a good sound proofing. I believe this is their style to worship, but at the same time, they should keep this to their property."
7 News Detroit went to the church looking for answers. An associate pastor we spoke with off camera indicated the church likely would not have a comment for us. We left our number and requested someone call us. We also left a voicemail earlier in the day and later emailed. So far, no one from the church has reached us back.
