Franklin, TN Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Section 12-1301 of the Franklin Municipal Code applies to acts that constitute 'Construction Activity' on any project requiring a city permit, and covers all work done on such projects once a permit exists. ; the code states flatly that no construction activity requiring a permit shall occur on Sundays and city holidays. 'Construction activity' is defined broadly to include grading and excavating, pouring concrete or the presence of concrete trucks, operating equipment such as pile drivers, power shovels, pneumatic hammers, and compressors, continual use of portable generators before permanent utility power is connected, indoor and outdoor work including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, painting, and landscaping, and the presence of workers more than 15 minutes before or after the permitted window.

A handful of exemptions apply: greenfield or unoccupied-building work more than 1,000 feet from an occupied residence, indoor work inaudible from the adjacent street, city-commissioned construction, street cleaning and erosion-control maintenance, emergency bridge/street/highway repairs at night, dumpster and portable-toilet servicing, utility emergencies, and after-hours work the city administrator approves in advance when public safety outweighs the inconvenience. Owners, developers, and general contractors can all be cited for a crew's violation, and citations can also reach subcontractors, concrete suppliers, and equipment-rental companies. Repeat violators, defined as contractors receiving two or more stop-work orders in 12 months, face a mandatory week of appointment-only inspections, a TDEC erosion-control training class, and a minimum one-month freeze on new permits for related projects until those steps are completed.