Cocoa, FL Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Cocoa, FL, 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
- Cocoa Code § 13.5-23(4)
- Barred hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Daytime standard
- No noise disturbance across property line
- Exceptions
- Bona fide emergency work or a variance
- Variance authority
- City manager, up to 180 days
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 60 days jail
Summary
Cocoa bars mechanically powered construction, drilling and demolition tools between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Even inside allowed daytime hours, the work still cannot create a noise disturbance at or across a property boundary, unless it is bona fide emergency work or covered by a city variance.
(4)Construction. Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day. Sound levels created by construction, drilling, or demolition activities shall not cause a noise disturbance at or across a real property boundary, except for bona fide emergency work of or by a variance issued pursuant to this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 17).
Full Breakdown
Section 13.5-23(4) of the noise disturbance article enumerates construction noise as a prohibited act: operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day is a violation outright, with no property-line test required during those hours. Separately, sound from construction, drilling or demolition activity at any hour cannot cause a noise disturbance at or across a real property boundary, except for bona fide emergency work or work covered by a variance issued under the article.
A 'noise disturbance' carries the article's own definition in section 13.5-22: sound that endangers safety or health, annoys a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or damages property; exceeding the Table 1 sound-level chart at section 13.5-26 is treated as evidence of a disturbance on its own. Contractors who need relief from the hours restriction can apply to the city manager under section 13.5-31 for an administrative variance for time to comply, capped at 180 days, by showing the standard hours would create an unreasonable hardship on the requestor, the community, or others.
Section 13.5-24 makes the property owner, lessee, or contractor in charge of the work responsible for a violation, and their presence at the job site when the noise occurs is presumed to mean it happened with their consent.
Violations & Fines
Under section 13.5-29, a construction-hours violation can be pursued through the city code enforcement board, civil court action, or criminal prosecution, at the city's election. Conviction carries a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment of up to sixty (60) days, or both, and section 13.5-30 additionally lets an affected neighbor bring their own civil suit over the noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can construction noise legally start in Cocoa?
Can a contractor get an exception to the 10 p.m. cutoff?
Is emergency repair work exempt from the hours limit?
Can daytime construction still be cited for noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cocoa
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Cocoa to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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Construction Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle construction hours.