Noise Ordinances in Portland, ME (2026)
5 verified noise ordinances for Portland, Maine, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Portland bars loud construction work near homes, hospitals, and nursing homes during set overnight hours: 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. from September through May, 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in summer, and never before 8:00 a.m. on weekends or legal holidays. The cap applies within 500 feet of residential or care buildings in the city's R-zones.
Portland Sets Nighttime Hours for Construction Noise
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 17-18(a)
Sec. 17-18. Construction activities. (a) Within the R-zones, from September 1st to May 31st, no person shall engage in construction activities generating noise exceeding fifty (50) decibels, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., of the following day within five hundred (500) feet of any building used for residential, hospital or nursing home purposes. From June 1st to August 31st constr...
Construction Hours
Construction noise above 50 decibels is barred in Portland's residential zones between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. from September through May under Sec. 17-18(a); the evening cutoff moves to 8:00 p.m. from June through August. No construction activity of any kind may start before 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
Portland Construction Noise Hours and Decibel Limit
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 17-18
(a) Within the R-zones, from September 1st to May 31st, no person shall engage in construction activities generating noise exceeding fifty (50) decibels, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., of the following day within five hundred (500) feet of any building used for residential, hospital or nursing home purposes. From June 1st to August 31st construction activity may continue until 8:...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Licensed outdoor entertainment in Portland must shut down by midnight Sunday through Thursday and by 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless the venue holds an Expanded Entertainment Addendum. The rule sits in Chapter 4's entertainment-licensing division alongside a decibel cap.
Portland Outdoor Entertainment Hours Limit
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 4-57(c) (Ch. 4, Amusements, Div. 3)
(c) A licensee shall not allow the licensed activity to be conducted outside of the following times without an Expanded Entertainment Addendum. 1. Outdoor entertainment, Sunday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to midnight; 2. Outdoor entertainment, Friday through Saturday: 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. the following day; and 3. Indoor entertainment: 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. the following day.
Decibel Limits
Portland's Land Use Code sets numeric decibel ceilings by zoning district and time of day. Table 6-H fixes daytime/evening (7 a.m.–9 p.m.) and nighttime (9 p.m.–7 a.m.) sound limits ranging from 55 dBA in the B-1 zone up to 75 dBA in the industrial I-H zone.
Portland Noise Limits By Zone (Table 6-H)
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances, Land Use Code (Ch. 14), Art. 6, § 6.8.6(A)-(B), Table 6-H (eff. 7/1/2026)
A. No use shall be operated so as to generate recurring noises that are unreasonably loud, cause injury, or create a nuisance to any person of ordinary sensitivities. B. The maximum permissible sound level of any continuous, regular, or frequent source of sound produced by an activity shall be as shown in Table 6-H. ... Zone (7 a.m.-9 p.m.) (9 p.m.-7 a.m.): B-1 55 dBA 55 dBA; B-4 65 dBA 60 dBA;...
Vehicle Noise
Portland bans creating noise on any public right-of-way that draws attention to its source, expressly naming rapid throttle revving and motor vehicles with straight-pipe or cutout exhaust systems under Sec. 17-20. Penalties escalate from $50 for a first offense to $500 for a fourth, enforced citywide regardless of the specific street.
Portland Vehicle Exhaust and Revving Noise Ban
Significant RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 17-20
No person, while occupying any public right-of-way in the City, shall operate any noise-creating device in such a manner that the public's attention is drawn to the source of the noise. The prohibition of this section shall include, but not be limited to, the following activity or conduct: ... d. Rapid throttle advance and/or revving of an internal combustion engine resulting in increased noise...