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The cities of Sherwood and Beaverton are bolstering laws in response to actions taken by pro-animal activists outside the homes of Skanska executives.

The seven-member Sherwood City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed two laws 鈥� one beefing up the city’s noise ordinance, and the other cracking down on 鈥渢argeted鈥� residential picketing. And in two weeks Beaverton City Council will consider two similar ordinances, according to assistant city attorney Grace Wong.

Activists with the group No New Animal Lab have picketed at Skanska job sites and offices to protest construction of the $124 million University of Washington animal research lab. But those efforts have spread into neighborhoods too.

Officials say residents have registered their displeasure with the regular protests taking place outside the homes of Sherwood resident Tim Baugus and Beaverton resident David Schmidt; both work out of Skanska’s office in downtown Portland. That office is not involved with the University of Washington project, according to Skanska spokeswoman Dianne Danowski-Smith.

Upset Sherwood residents came to the Jan. 5 city council meeting to discuss the protests that had been taking place irregularly outside Baugus’ house since April 2015. The city attorney returned Feb. 2 with an update to an ordinance prohibiting 鈥渦nreasonably loud or raucous鈥� behavior, and an ordinance prohibiting protests 鈥渙utside or about鈥� a residence. The new rules contained emergency clauses; therefore they were effective immediately upon passage and did not require a second public hearing.

Beaverton City Council will hear proposed similar changes at its Feb. 16 meeting. Like Sherwood’s noise ordinance, Beaverton’s will be based on a model nuisance rule provided by the League of Oregon Cities. It specifies the 鈥渢ime, manner and place鈥� that protests may occur, Wong said. The residential picketing ordinance will differ slightly from Sherwood’s in that it will allow picketing outside a 250-foot buffer.

鈥淚f your intent is to disrupt, you won’t be able to do that,鈥� Wong said. 鈥�(The law) is focused not on what they say, but how they say it.鈥�

Danowski-Smith called the residential protests 鈥渇rightening and unprecedented.鈥�

鈥淭he ordinances are trying to respect their First Amendment rights,鈥� she said.

In a news release, the group took issue with the new laws, and notably, the emergency provision.

鈥淚t is a privileged view of the world to believe that a public protest outside of wealthy home to hold corporate executives accountable for their desire to profit off the suffering of animals constitutes a state of emergency,鈥� the statement reads.