Cambridge, MA Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours (weekdays)
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Restricted hours (Sat/Sun/holiday)
- 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Audibility threshold
- Plainly audible 50 feet from lot line
- Fine per violation
- $300 per day
- Enforcing officials
- Police Commissioner, ISD Commissioner, License Commission chair
- Governing chapter
- Cambridge Code Chapter 8.16, Noise Control
Summary
Cambridge's Noise Control Ordinance bans loading and unloading of boxes, crates, containers, and garbage cans between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, and between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. before Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays, if the noise carries fifty feet from the lot line. The rule targets delivery-truck and hauler activity overnight.
E.Loading and Unloading. Loading, unloading, opening, closing or other handling of boxes, crates, containers, building materials, garbage cans, or similar objects between the hours of nine p.m. and seven a.m. the following day on weekdays, or between the hours of nine p.m. and nine a.m. the following day when the following day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the lot line of the lot on which such activity is located, or to be plainly audible within a noise sensitive zone.
Full Breakdown
16, adopted by Ord. 1121 in 1991 and amended by Ord. ahead of a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, if the racket is plainly audible fifty feet from the lot line, or anywhere inside a designated noise sensitive zone. The rule reaches commercial deliveries, trash and recycling hauling, and any handling of similar hard-sided objects outside daytime hours, whether the loading happens at a store, restaurant, or apartment building. 040, and any one of them can order remedial action or issue a citation. 030 is any area the License Commission designates for exceptional quiet, such as around a school, library, hospital, or nursing home, marked with posted signage. 040(E).
Violations & Fines
A first violation under § 8.16.040(C) draws a $300 citation issued under G.L. c. 40, § 21D, and each day the loading noise continues is a separate offense, so a business that keeps unloading at 5 a.m. every day racks up new $300 fines daily. Enforcement officials can also seek a court injunction against the offending operation, and may suspend or revoke a business, entertainment, or dumpster license tied to the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a delivery truck unload at my apartment building at 6 a.m.?
What happens on Saturday morning trash pickup?
Who do I call to report noisy overnight deliveries?
Does the rule apply to residential trash cans too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cambridge
Compare Cambridge to another location·View the Massachusetts noise from specific sources overview
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Delivery Truck Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle delivery truck noise.