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El Paso, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Curfew hours
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Covered equipment
Portable generators, power tools
Daytime standard
No unreasonable disturbance, any hour
Outage exception
None named in the ordinance

Summary

Running a portable generator or other power equipment outdoors on residential property in El Paso is barred from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. City Code § 9.40.020(B)(11) sets that curfew, and § 9.40.020(B)(7) separately bans any mechanical or electrical device that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor at any hour.

7. Mechanical devices. Operating or permitting to be operated, any mechanical, electrical, or electronic device outdoors on residential property in such a manner as to unreasonably disturb or interfere with the sleep, peace, comfort, or repose of a person of reasonable sensibilities. ... 11. Power equipment. Operating or permitting to be operated any power equipment on residential property outdoors between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, or in such a manner as to unreasonably disturb or interfere with the sleep, peace, comfort, or repose of a person of reasonable sensibilities.

View official code

Full Breakdown

' A gas or diesel generator run outside a house at night falls squarely within 'power equipment,' making the nine-hour overnight window a flat curfew independent of measured loudness. can still be a violation if it disturbs sleep, peace, comfort or repose, relevant for a generator used during a daytime power outage. 020(A) cover emergency vehicles, utility crews doing emergency work, and government functions, but a private residential generator doesn't fall into any of those named categories, so the standard curfew and nuisance tests both apply.

Violations & Fines

Running a generator or other power equipment outdoors on residential property between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. violates § 9.40.020(B)(11) regardless of decibel level; running one at any hour in a manner that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's sleep, peace, comfort or repose independently violates § 9.40.020(B)(7), and neither section carries an outage or emergency-power exception.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a generator overnight during a power outage in El Paso?
Section 9.40.020(B)(11) bans operating power equipment outdoors on residential property between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and the ordinance names no exception for outages, so an overnight generator still falls under the curfew.
Is there a decibel limit for generators, or just a time window?
The power-equipment rule in § 9.40.020(B)(11) is a flat time-of-day curfew with no decibel figure; the separate mechanical-devices rule in § 9.40.020(B)(7) instead uses an 'unreasonably disturb' nuisance standard, also without a measured number.
Can a generator running during the day still be a violation?
Yes. Section 9.40.020(B)(7) bans any mechanical, electrical, or electronic device operated outdoors on residential property in a manner that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's sleep, peace, comfort or repose, with no time restriction.
Does a construction or commercial generator get different treatment?
The power-equipment and mechanical-device rules both reference 'residential property'; equipment on commercial or construction sites is instead governed by the separate construction-work curfew in § 9.40.020(B)(3).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in El Paso

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