Midland, TX Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Midland, TX, 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
- 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. without a permit
- Buffer distance
- Rule applies within 600 feet of homes/hospitals
- Permit lead time
- Application due 5 business days before work
- Decision time
- Building Official must decide within 5 business days
- Fine
- Up to $500 per day, no intent required
- Adopted
- Ordinance 10598, effective February 25, 2025
Summary
Midland limits construction activity near homes and hospitals to established hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. under Chapter 4-13 of the Code of Ordinances. Working outside those hours within 600 feet of an occupied residence or hospital is barred unless the contractor holds an after-hours construction permit that requires advance notice and noise-minimizing conditions.
(A)Prohibited after-hours construction activity. A person shall not perform after-hours construction activity within 600 feet of an occupied residential use or a hospital.(B)Exception. It is an exception to the application of subsection (A) that the person possessed an after-hours construction permit or was working at the direction of another who possessed an after-hours construction permit at the time the person performed the after-hours construction activity, and the person was acting in compliance with the conditions of the after-hours construction permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 1 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Midland created Chapter 4-13, Construction Work Hours, by Ordinance 10598 on February 25, 2025, to control construction noise near residents and hospitals. Sec. , and 'construction activity' broadly to cover erection, excavation, demolition, alteration or repair of a building, plus clearing, grading, excavating, filling or demolishing a construction site, or building curbs, gutters or sidewalks. Sec. window near those uses is presumptively unlawful. The only way around the ban is an after-hours construction permit from the Building Official (Sec. 4-13-2(B)). To get one, Sec. 4-13-3(A) requires an application filed at least five business days before work begins, explaining why the after-hours work is urgently necessary, serves the public interest, or won't disturb the peace of nearby residents or a hospital; the Building Official must decide within five business days.
An approved permit automatically carries the condition that the permittee 'take reasonable actions to minimize noise and disruption' within 600 feet of the site, and the permittee must notify neighbors within that radius in writing and post a conspicuous on-site notice for the length of the permit (Sec. 4-13-3(C)). The Building Official can revoke the permit at any time for noncompliance (Sec. 4-13-3(D)). Compliance with a valid after-hours permit is also an affirmative defense to a general noise-ordinance charge under Sec. 6-6-13 of the Code (Sec. 4-13-3(E)).
Violations & Fines
A person who performs construction activity outside the 7 a.m.-7 p.m. hours within 600 feet of an occupied home or hospital without a permit commits a misdemeanor under Sec. 4-13-4(A), punishable by a fine up to $500.00, with each day a separate offense. No culpable mental state is required to prove the offense (Sec. 4-13-4(B)); the only defense is that the work was after-hours emergency construction activity needed to prevent harm to health or safety (Sec. 4-13-4(C)).
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews work in Midland without a special permit?
How do I apply for permission to work after 7 p.m. near houses?
Does an after-hours permit let a contractor be as loud as they want?
Is there an exception for emergency repairs at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Midland
How Midland compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Midland to another location·View the Texas noise ordinances overview
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