Alachua County, FL Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Alachua County, FL, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Prohibited hours
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Waiver lead time
- Apply at least 15 days in advance
- Waiver limit
- 3 consecutive days, 7 days per 30-day period
- Notice required
- Certified mail to parcels within 500 feet
- No hardship waivers
- Economic hardship alone is not grounds
- Enforcing agencies
- Sheriff's Office and Codes Enforcement
Summary
Construction, demolition, excavation, grading, pile driving and similar equipment may not run between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in unincorporated Alachua County unless the work is a true emergency or the contractor has an approved construction noise waiver. Section 110.03(f) makes off-hours construction noise a standalone violation of Chapter 110.
(f)Construction and demolition activity. The operation of any equipment used in construction work, building, excavation, grading, pile driving, pneumatic hammering, demolition, dredging, building alteration or repair work between the hours of 9:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. of the next day, except for emergency work or through an approved construction noise waiver per Section 110.12 below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
12. A contractor who needs to work outside those hours must apply for the waiver at least 15 days in advance with a signed affidavit giving the applicant's contact information, the building permit number, and an explanation of the technical hardship requiring off-hours work. 12(c) expressly bars granting a waiver for mere economic hardship. 12(e); the applicant must notify by certified mail every parcel within 500 feet at least seven days before work begins. 08. 10.
Violations & Fines
A construction-hours violation is a second-degree misdemeanor under Section 110.06, punishable per Fla. Stat. §§ 775.082 and 775.083, or may be processed as a civil citation under Fla. Stat. Ch. 162. Each day equipment runs during the prohibited 9:00 p.m.-to-7:00 a.m. window without an emergency-work exemption or an approved waiver can support a separate citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can a contractor legally run equipment in unincorporated Alachua County?
How do I get permission to work past 9:00 p.m.?
Can I get a waiver just because working during the day costs more?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
How Alachua County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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