How Tigard Handles Noise Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Tigard maintains 50 local ordinances across all categories, and 5 of those deal specifically with noise ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Tigard falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Leaf Blower Rules

Tigard treats leaf blowers as air-, electrical-, or gas-driven domestic tools under TMC 6.02.450 (Exceptions to Noise Limits). They may be operated between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week, and even then cannot generate noise exceeding 85 dB measured on a property where a noise-sensitive use is located for more than five minutes in any calendar day. Tigard has not adopted a phase-out of gas-powered leaf blowers.

Key details: Code Section: TMC 6.02.450 (Exceptions to Noise Limits). Permitted Hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily. Decibel Cap: 85 dB / 5 min on noise-sensitive property. Gas Blower Ban: No (not adopted in Tigard). Enforcement: Tigard Code Compliance.

Leaf-blower complaints outside the 7 a.m.-8 p.m. window or exceeding the 85 dB / 5-minute cap are enforced under TMC 6.02 Article V and 6.02.450 by Tigard Code Compliance. First contacts are typically resolved through a courtesy notice or voluntary compliance agreement; repeat or refused violations result in a civil infraction citation. The two-witness rule of TMC 6.02 applies unless a city officer personally witnessed the violation. There is no separate equipment-registration or sticker program for leaf blowers in Tigard.

Amplified Music & Events

Loudspeakers, amplifying devices, public-address systems, radios, and music systems are regulated as noise sources under Tigard Municipal Code Chapter 6.02, Article V (Noise Nuisances). Amplified sound that is plainly audible inside a noise-sensitive unit between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or unnecessarily loud at a distance of 100 feet in a park, street, or public place at any time, is prohibited. City-approved community events are exempt under TMC 6.02.450.

Key details: Code Section: TMC 6.02 Article V (Noise Nuisances). Nighttime Standard: Plainly audible 10 p.m. - 7 a.m.. Public Space Standard: Unnecessarily loud at 100 ft. Event Exemption: City-approved events (TMC 6.02.450). Enforcement: Tigard Police / Code Compliance.

Amplified-music complaints are enforced under TMC 6.02 Article V by Tigard Police (after-hours) and by Tigard Code Compliance (business hours) as a civil infraction. Officers may demand that the amplified source be turned down; refusal or repeat violations result in a citation. The two-witness rule of TMC 6.02 applies unless a city officer personally observed the violation. Equipment used to violate the article may be subject to seizure if necessary to abate the nuisance.

Construction Hours

Construction, demolition, and industrial activities are exempt from Tigard's general sound limits only between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week, under TMC 6.02.450 (Exceptions to Noise Limits). Outside that window, construction noise is treated as a noise nuisance under TMC 6.02 Article V. Even within the permitted hours, exempt activities cannot exceed 85 dB measured on a noise-sensitive property for more than five minutes in any calendar day.

Key details: Code Section: TMC 6.02.450 (Exceptions to Noise Limits). Permitted Hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily. Weekend Rule: Same hours (no Sunday/holiday shortening). Decibel Cap: 85 dB max, 5 min/day on noise-sensitive property. Enforcement: Tigard Code Compliance.

Construction noise outside the 7 a.m.-8 p.m. exemption window is enforced under TMC 6.02 Article V as a noise nuisance. Tigard Code Compliance typically issues a courtesy notice and seeks a voluntary compliance agreement for a first complaint, escalating to a civil infraction citation for repeat or refused compliance. Violations of the 85 dB / 5-minute cap during permitted hours are likewise enforced under TMC 6.02.450. The two-witnesses-from-different-households evidence rule under TMC 6.02 applies unless a city officer personally observed the violation.

Quiet Hours

Tigard's noise ordinance is codified at Tigard Municipal Code Chapter 6.02, Article V (Noise Nuisances) under the Nuisance Code. The defined nighttime quiet window is 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., during which any noise that is plainly audible inside a noise-sensitive unit (residence, place of overnight accommodation, church, day care, hospital, school, or nursing care center) that is not the source of the sound is prohibited. Noise within a park, street, or other public place that is unnecessarily loud at a distance of 100 feet is prohibited at any hour.

Key details: Code Section: TMC 6.02 Article V (Noise Nuisances). Nighttime Quiet Window: 10 p.m. - 7 a.m.. Public Space Standard: Unnecessarily loud at 100 ft. Witness Rule: Two persons from different households. Enforcement: Tigard Police / Code Compliance.

Noise complaints are pursued under TMC Chapter 6.02 by Tigard Police or by Tigard Code Compliance as a civil infraction. The chapter requires the evidence of at least two persons from different households to establish a violation, except that any Police or Code Enforcement officer or other city employee who witnessed the noise counts as a witness. A first contact is commonly handled through a voluntary compliance agreement; repeat or refused violations escalate to citations and civil penalties under the Nuisance Code.

Barking Dogs

Tigard contracts dog licensing and barking-dog enforcement to Washington County Animal Services. The operative standard is Washington County Code 6.04.260 (Continuous Annoyance): a dog that barks, whines, screeches, howls, or makes other sounds reasonably heard beyond the owner's property for a total of five or more minutes in any 15-minute period may be cited. Tigard's own TMC 6.02 Article V (Noise Nuisances) separately treats animals that create unnecessarily loud noise as a city noise nuisance.

Key details: County Code: Washington County Code 6.04.260. Tigard Code: TMC 6.02 Article V (Noise Nuisances). Threshold: 5+ min in any 15-min period. Max Penalty (County): $500. Enforcement: Washington County Animal Services.

Barking complaints inside Tigard are filed with Washington County Animal Services. After a first complaint, the county typically mails a courtesy notice to the dog's owner explaining the 5-minute / 15-minute standard. A signed sworn complaint from a witness (or a second complaint) can trigger a citation under WCC 6.04.260 with a maximum fine of $500. Chronic cases that also produce a city noise nuisance under TMC 6.02 Article V can be enforced by Tigard Code Compliance with the two-witness rule.

The Bottom Line

Tigard's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Tigard is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Tigard's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.