Noise Ordinances in Cambridge, MA (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Cambridge, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Cambridge bars outdoor power tools, loading and unloading, and construction between roughly 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., with domestic power tools like saws and lawn equipment specifically barred 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. in residential areas under Municipal Code § 8.16.080.L.
Cambridge Nighttime Quiet Hours
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.16.080.L
L.Domestic Power Tools. Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered saw, drill, sander, grinder, lawn or garden tool, snow blower, or similar device used outdoors in residential areas between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m. so as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the lot line of the lot on which said activity is located, or in a noise sensitive zone.
Construction Hours
Cambridge bars audible construction, drilling or demolition noise on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., and from 6 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Monday-adjacent weekends and holidays, under Municipal Code § 8.16.080.F, on top of separate decibel caps for daytime construction devices.
Cambridge Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.16.080.F
F.Construction. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work:1.Between the hours of six p.m. and seven a.m. the following day on weekdays, or between the hours of six p.m. and nine a.m. the following day when the following day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, such that the sound therefrom is plainly audible at a distance of ...
Barking Dogs
A Cambridge owner violates the Noise Control Ordinance if a dog, bird or other animal howls, barks or squawks loudly enough to be plainly audible 50 feet from the lot line, or at all within a designated noise sensitive zone, under Municipal Code § 8.16.080.D.
Cambridge Barking Dog Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.16.080.D
D.Animals, Birds. Etc. Owning, possessing or harboring any animal or bird which frequently or for continued duration, howls, barks, meows, squawks or makes other sounds which are plainly audible within a noise sensitive zone, or plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the lot line of the lot on which it is located.
Leaf Blower Rules
Cambridge bans gas-powered leaf blowers outright and limits all leaf blowers, gas or electric, to two seasonal windows: March 15 to June 15 and September 15 to December 31. Use is capped at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, with a 65-decibel manufacturer cap.
Cambridge Leaf Blower Season and Hours
Heavy RestrictionsCambridge Code § 8.16.081.3(1),(2),(4),(9)
1.The use of leaf blowers is at all times prohibited except between March 15 and June 15 and between September 15 and December 31 of each calendar year.2.The use of leaf blowers is further prohibited on Sundays and legal holidays except...Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans' Day...4.On days leaf blowers may be used such use by all users is limited to: (a) Monday through Friday, between the hou...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Playing a radio, phonograph, loudspeaker or public address system in Cambridge is a noise violation if it's plainly audible 50 feet from the building, vehicle or dwelling unit where it's operating, under Municipal Code § 8.16.080.B, regardless of any decibel reading.
Cambridge Amplified Sound Limits
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.16.080.B
B.Radios, Phonographs, Etc. The using, operating, or permitting to be played, used or operated any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph, loudspeaker or public address systems, unless used by the City of Cambridge, or other machine or device for the producing or reproducing of sound in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty (50) feet from the building, struc...
Decibel Limits
Cambridge caps outdoor noise by zoning district under Municipal Code Chapter 8.16. Residential lot lines can't exceed 60 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) at night, commercial areas top out at 65 dB(A), and industrial areas at 70 dB(A), measured at the property line.
Cambridge Decibel Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.16.060(E) and Table 8.16.060E
E.Area Noise Standards. Noise standards referred to in this chapter for the several zoning districts of the City, as defined in and established pursuant to the City zoning ordinance are established by Table 8.16.060E following this section. TABLE 8.16.060E TABLE OF ZONING DISTRICT NOISE STANDARDS Single Number Equivalent (dB(A)) Residential Area Daytime 60 Other Times 50 Residential in Industri...
Vehicle Noise
Cambridge bans unreasonably loud vehicle horns and signalling devices, and bars repairing, rebuilding or testing a motor vehicle, motorcycle or motorboat when plainly audible 50 feet away, under Municipal Code §§ 8.16.080.A and 8.16.080.G.
Cambridge Vehicle Horn and Repair Noise
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code §§ 8.16.080.A, 8.16.080.G
A.Horns, Signalling Devices, Etc. The sounding of any horn or signalling device on any automobile, motorcycle, street car or other vehicle on any street or public place of the City, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signalling device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of any such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time... G.Ve...