Boston, MA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Section 16-26.4 restricts "erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building and excavation in regard thereto" to weekday hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., unless the work is done "in the interest of public safety or welfare" or under an Off Hours Permit issued by the Commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department. That permit "may be renewed for one or more periods of not exceeding one week each," meaning contractors must keep re-applying rather than obtaining one blanket after-hours approval. A violation is punished by a $300 fine, and "each day shall constitute a new offense," so an ongoing after-hours job accrues a fresh $300 exposure daily.

Section 16-26.5 layers a numeric standard on top of the clock: even within the permitted daytime window, it is unlawful, except for Public Utility Companies in an emergency, to run any construction device, "including, but not limited to, impact devices," if it emits noise measured at a residential lot line in excess of 50 dBa between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. That window overlaps the last hours of the 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. workday, so a contractor legally working until 6:00 p.m. can still be cited if impact equipment pushes noise over 50 dBa at a neighboring residential lot line. Both Sections trace to the 1985 Code Book and were amended by Ordinances of 1991 and 2016.