Clackamas County, OR Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Clackamas County, OR, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Allowed hours
- 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day
- Covers
- Construction, demolition, alteration, excavation
- Government exception
- Overnight bridge/street repair when impractical by day
- Tool exemption window
- Same 7 a.m.-10 p.m. per § 6.05.060(I)
- Enforcing agency
- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Construction, demolition, alteration, or repair of a building, and excavation of streets and highways, may only occur between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in unincorporated Clackamas County under Code 6.05.040(B)(11). Government-performed bridge and street repair can run overnight when daytime work is impractical, and hand tools used for repair carry the same 7 a.m.-10 p.m. exemption window.
11. Construction or Repair of Buildings, Excavation of Streets and Highways: The construction, demolition, alteration, or repair of any building or the excavation of streets and highways other than between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
12. Blowers, and Similar Devices: Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following day, the operation of any noise-creating blower, power fan, or any internal combustion engine, the operation of which causes noise due to the explosion of operating gases or fluids, provided that the noise is unreasonably loud and is received or perceived in dwellings or noise sensitive areas.
13. Commercial Establishments Adjacent to Dwellings: Unreasonably loud and raucous noise from the premises of any commercial establishment, including any outdoor area which is part of or under control of the establishment, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that is plainly audible at a distance of five feet from any dwelling.
[Added by Ord. 08-2020, 10/1/20; Amended by Ord. 04-2025, 12/4/25]
Full Breakdown
' Outside that window, construction noise is prohibited regardless of how loud it is. 040(A). when 'public welfare and convenience renders it impractical to perform the work' during the day, a flexibility private contractors do not get. 060(F) separately exempts industrial, commercial, timber-harvesting, and utility organizations during their normal operations, which can overlap with construction-adjacent work performed by those industries. m.
Violations & Fines
A contractor or homeowner cited for after-hours construction noise has fourteen days to pay the Board-set fine under 6.05.100 or request a hearing under Section 2.07.040. Repeated after-hours work on the same job site can prompt the Board of County Commissioners to order a show-cause hearing under 6.05.090(H), and County Counsel can pursue civil enforcement in Circuit or District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction noise legally happen in unincorporated Clackamas County?
Can the County ever do street repair work at night?
Are lawnmowers and power tools covered by the construction-hours rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
How Clackamas County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Clackamas County to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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