Washington County, OR Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Washington County, OR, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Weekday hours
- construction barred 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Weekend/holiday hours
- 7 p.m. Sat to 7 a.m. Mon, and holidays
- First-offense fine
- up to $500 (WCC 8.24.080)
- Repeat-offense fine
- up to $1,000 within 2 years
- Variance option
- Type I (≤60 days) or Type II
- Scope
- unincorporated county only, not Hillsboro/Beaverton
Summary
Washington County bars construction, excavation, demolition and repair work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, from 7 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday, and on legal holidays, under County Code § 8.24.040(F)-(G). The same curfew covers piledrivers, pneumatic hammers and heavy equipment. This applies only in unincorporated Washington County. Hillsboro, Beaverton and other cities enforce their own construction-hour rules.
F.Construction or Repairing of Structures. The erection (including excavating), demolition, alteration or repair of any structure from seven p.m. to seven a.m. the following morning, and from seven p.m. Saturday to seven a.m. the following Monday, and on legal holidays except by variance or for reasons of emergency;G.Piledrivers, Hammers, Etc. The operation between the hours of seven p.m. and seven a.m. of any piledriver, steam shovel, pneumatic hammer, derrick, steam or electric hoist, or other equipment, the use of which is attended by loud or unusual noise except by variance or for reasons of emergency.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
m. the following Monday, and on legal holidays is barred except by variance or for reasons of emergency. 025, submitting a processing fee, project description and mitigation plan to the county administrative office; the county administrator must respond to a complete Type I application within ten days. 055. This chapter governs unincorporated Washington County only, the incorporated cities inside county lines, including county-seat Hillsboro and Beaverton, apply their own municipal noise codes, so a project inside those city limits is not covered here. 080 by a fine of up to $500, rising to $1,000 for a second violation within two years, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Working past 7 p.m. on weekdays, past 7 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday, or on any legal holiday without an approved variance violates § 8.24.040(F)-(G). Section 8.24.080 sets the penalty: up to $500 for a first conviction, up to $1,000 if the person was convicted of a chapter violation within the prior two years, and each day of continued work counts as a separate offense. County officers cite under Chapter 1.08.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a contractor get permission to work outside the 7 a.m.-7 p.m. window in Washington County?
Does this construction-hours rule apply inside Hillsboro or Beaverton?
What happens if a contractor is caught working past hours a second time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
How Washington County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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