Chattanooga, TN Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Chattanooga, TN, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Chattanooga City Code § 25-68(a)(8)
- Allowed hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- After-hours permit
- building inspector, max 30 days
- Max citation fine
- $50 per violation
- Max civil penalty
- $500 per violation, § 25-74
Summary
Chattanooga City Code § 25-68(a)(8) confines construction noise, building erection, demolition, alteration or repair, and street excavation, in residential areas to 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Work outside those hours needs a building inspector's permit, granted only for urgent public-health or safety necessity and capped at thirty days while the emergency lasts.
(8)Construction work. The erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building in any residential district or section, and the excavation of streets in any residential district or section, other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., except in cases of urgent necessity in the interest of the public health and safety, and then only with a permit from the building inspector, which may be granted for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days while such emergency continues. If the building inspector determines that the public health and safety will not be impaired by the erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building or the excavation of a street within the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and further determines that loss or inconvenience would result to any party in interest through delay, he may grant permission for such work to be done within the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. upon application made at the time the permit for such work is awarded or during the progress of the work.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
m. Work outside those hours is allowed only in cases of 'urgent necessity in the interest of the public health and safety,' and only with a permit from the building inspector, who may grant it for a period not to exceed thirty days while the emergency continues. , either at the time the original construction permit is issued or while the work is already underway. window. Vehicles of the city or another government agency on necessary public business, and night bridge or street excavation the city itself performs when public welfare requires it, are exempt from the restriction.
Violations & Fines
Article III's enforcement section, § 25-74, lets city court impose a $50.00 citation fine for each violation, plus a civil penalty of up to $500.00 to recover the city's administration costs, or a conditional civil penalty up to $500.00 that's purged if the violator stays clean for a year. Combined fines and penalties for one violation can't exceed $500.00, and repeat violators can be referred to the appropriate city regulatory board for permit suspension.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the legal construction hours in Chattanooga?
Can a contractor ever get permission to work at night?
What's the fine for construction noise outside legal hours?
Does the construction hours rule apply outside residential neighborhoods?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
How Chattanooga compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Chattanooga to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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