Reno, NV Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Reno, NV, 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
- 6:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
- Applies to
- nonresidential builds near residential zoning
- Nighttime cap outside window
- 49 dB, 10 p.m.–7 a.m.
- Daytime cap outside window
- 65 dB Leq
- Enforced by
- City Administrator / Code Enforcement
Summary
Reno exempts construction noise from its residential-property-line noise limits only between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Outside that window, construction sound must meet the same 49-65 decibel caps that apply to any other noise source near a home.
Daytime Noise Level Noise levels shall not exceed 65 db leq or 65 db for a single event on a reoccurring basis at a residentially zoned property line.1.Noise associated with temporary construction activity is exempt from the standards from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.2.Airport airplane operations are exempt from these standards.(b)Exclusions for Existing Higher Ambient Noise Levels Where existing ambient noise levels already exceed the standards of this article as of the effective date of this Title, the subject source may not increase existing levels. Editor's note— Ord. No. 6692, § 1(Exh. A), adopted January 8, 2025, repealed the former § 18.04.1407, and renumbered §§ 18.04.1408—18.04.1413, as §§ 18.04.1407—18.04.1412 as set out herein. The former § 18.04.1407 pertained to spillover lighting and derived from original source code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Administrative Code: Supplement 64 | Land Development Code: Supplement 5 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under the Land Development Code's residential adjacency standards, noise from temporary construction activity is exempt from Reno's property-line noise limits only from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Those underlying limits, measured at a residentially zoned property line, cap noise at 49 dB Leq between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and 65 dB Leq during the day. The article applies to nonresidential development built on or within 300 feet of residentially zoned property or a mobile home park. Run equipment before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m. near a home and the noise is judged against those same decibel limits rather than exempted.
Violations & Fines
The Administrator enforces Title 18 violations under RMC Chapter 1.05, Code Enforcement, with authority to issue notices of violation, administrative citations, and stop-work orders halting construction until the noise is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can crews run equipment before 6 a.m. in Reno?
Does the construction-hours exemption apply everywhere in Reno?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reno
How Reno compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Reno to another location·View the Nevada noise ordinances overview
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