Noise Ordinances in Grand Forks, ND (2026)
6 verified noise ordinances for Grand Forks, North Dakota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Grand Forks keeps mechanically powered saws, sanders, drills, grinders and lawn or garden tools off residential yards between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. under section 10-0502(2)(E), the same overnight window the code uses for radios, TVs and vehicle repair noise. Snowblowers are excluded from the tool curfew. A violation is capped at $500 per day under section 10-0506.
Grand Forks Nighttime Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 10-0502(2)(E)
(E)Domestic power tools. Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically-powered saw, sander, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool, or similar device used outdoors in residential areas between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary. This section shall not apply to the operation of snowblowers.
Construction Hours
Grand Forks bars construction, drilling and demolition tools from running between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, and at any time on Sundays or legal holidays, whenever the noise crosses a residential property line. Emergency work by the city or public utilities is exempt, and section 10-0505 lets the city council issue a special variance for other projects. Violators risk up to $500 per day.
Grand Forks Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 10-0502(2)(C)
(C)Construction.1.For construction other than principle arterial roadway construction, operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day on weekdays or at any time on Sundays or holidays such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential r...
Barking Dogs
The City of Grand Forks bans barking dogs outright. City Code Section 11-0116 makes it unlawful to harbor or maintain any dog, licensed or not, that runs out and barks at people, cars or other passing objects along a street or public ground, or that disturbs the neighborhood by barking, howling, whining or making other disagreeable noises.
Grand Forks Barking Dog Nuisance Ban
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 11-0116
No person shall harbor or maintain at any place within the city any dog, whether licensed or unlicensed, which shall run out and bark at any person, automobile, or other passing object upon or along any street, highway, or other public ground within the city. No person shall harbor or maintain at any place within the city any dog which shall commit any nuisance or act of destruction upon the pr...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
In the City of Grand Forks, radios, TVs, musical instruments and sound amplifiers cannot run between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. if the sound crosses a property line and creates a noise disturbance. Vehicle stereos are capped at a 50-foot audibility radius on public streets at any hour. A city council permit under section 10-0505 exempts qualifying public events. Violators face up to $500 per day under section 10-0506.
Grand Forks Amplified Sound and Music Curfew
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 10-0502(2)(A)
(A)Radios, television sets, musical instruments and similar devices. Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound:1.Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a ...
Decibel Limits
Grand Forks Table II under section 10-0507 sets numeric decibel ceilings by zoning district and time of day: 55 dB in residential zones, 65 dB in commercial zones and 80 dB in industrial zones from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., dropping to 50, 60 and 75 dB respectively overnight from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. Sound crossing into a stricter district is held to that stricter limit.
Grand Forks Zoning Noise Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 10-0507
10-0507. - Definitions. ... (7)Noise disturbance means a sound or noise projecting from one property into another, within the boundary of a use district which exceeds the limiting noise criteria as set forth in the Table II below. ... TABLE II. ... LIMITING NOISE LEVELS FOR ZONING DISTRICTS Zoning Districts Maximum Number of Decibels Residential Commercial Industrial Permitted from 8:00 a.m. un...
Vehicle Noise
City Code § 8-0617 requires every motor vehicle driven on a Grand Forks highway to carry a working muffler that prevents excessive or unusual noise and bans muffler cutouts outright. A separate section, § 8-0306, bans intentionally using an unmuffled compression or engine brake, the loud "Jake brake," on any highway, street, parking lot or alley in the city, except to make an emergency stop. Both rules are enforced by the Grand Forks Police Department with a set dollar fine, not a discretionary warning.
Grand Forks Muffler And Engine Brake Law
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 8-0617
(1)No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway in the City of Grand Forks unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke.(2)No person shall use a "muffler cutout" on any motor vehicle upon a roadway in the City of Grand Forks.