Billings, MT Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Billings, MT, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Exempt hours
- 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily
- Outside window
- Subject to Sec. 17-102/103 nuisance limits
- Penalty
- Municipal infraction, civil fine per day
- Waiver cap
- 4 per address per year (non-CBD)
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 17-105(5)
Summary
Billings' noise code exempts home, building, and grounds-maintenance construction noise from citywide sound limits only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Outside that window, the exemption disappears and construction noise can be cited as a public nuisance.
The following uses and activities shall be exempt from noise level regulations:
(1)Noise from safety signals and warning devices;(2)Noises resulting from any authorized emergency vehicle when responding to an emergency call or acting in time of emergency;(3)Noise resulting from emergency work;(4)Noise resulting from the operating of motorized lawnmowers fitted with equipment-type mufflers between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.;(5)Noise caused by home or building repair, construction, or grounds maintenance between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 17-105 exempts noise from home or building repair, construction, or grounds maintenance from the noise-level regulations in Sec. 17-103, but only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Outside those hours the exemption disappears and construction noise is judged against the general nuisance ban in Sec. 17-102 and the day/night decibel limits in Table 1 (55-65 dB(A) in residential zones). A contractor can apply to the city administrator for a waiver under Sec. 17-107 to work later, but public construction projects aside, the same address is capped at four waivers per calendar year.
Violations & Fines
Violating the noise chapter is a municipal infraction with civil penalties under Sec. 18-1304; each day the noise continues is a separate offense, and it can also be enjoined as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can contractors work before 7 a.m. in Billings?
Can construction hours be extended in Billings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Billings
How Billings compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Billings to another location·View the Montana noise ordinances overview
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