Clark County, IN Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Clark County, IN, 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. to 9:00 p.m.
- Condition
- equipment must be properly muffled
- Outside those hours
- 50-foot audibility rule applies
- First offense fine
- $25
- Third+ offense fine
- $100
- Enforcement
- County Sheriff, County Police Department
Summary
Clark County only exempts lawn mowers, garden tractors, construction equipment and power tools from its noise ordinance between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and only if the equipment is properly muffled. Outside that window, construction noise audible 50 feet away is a violation.
The following are exempted from the provisions of this section: (1) Sounds emitted from authorized emergency vehicles; (2) Lawn mowers, garden tractors, construction equipment and power tools, when properly muffled, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. only;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2019 S-0: Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 31-2014, passed 12-18-2014).
Full Breakdown
m. 04(A), which bars operating any machine, device or equipment whose sound is clearly audible to another person 50 feet or more away, whether the site is public property or private property measured from the lot line. loses the exemption entirely and is judged under the ordinary 50-foot audibility rule, exactly as if the equipment were a stereo or generator. window and falls back on the general standard. 04(C) to issue further rules implementing the noise chapter, and enforcement runs through the County Police Department and the Sheriff's office.
There is no separate construction-specific permit process referenced in this section; the hours restriction functions purely as a conditional exemption from the general prohibition rather than an affirmative construction-noise permit scheme.
Violations & Fines
A violation of 90.04 carries a $25 fine for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $100 for a third or later offense under 90.99(C)(1), with each day of continued out-of-hours work a separate offense. Fines go to the County Auditor within 30 days; contested citations are heard in County Superior Court No. 3, which can impose up to $150 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction equipment run in Clark County?
Is there a permit for after-hours construction noise?
Does unmuffled equipment get the daytime exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clark County
How Clark County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Clark County to another location·View the Indiana noise ordinances overview
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