Sioux Falls, SD Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Sioux Falls does not have a separate construction-hours chapter. Instead, § 93.006 EXCEPTIONS carves construction out of the strict residential noise caps in § 93.003 — but only conditionally. Per § 93.006(e), 'operating, or causing to be used or operated, any equipment used in construction, repair, alteration or demolition work on buildings, structures, streets, alleys or appurtenances in any land use district where the operation causes a sound pressure level no more than 75 dB(A) measured at a distance of 50 feet' is allowed between 6:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Two related exceptions sit alongside it: § 93.006(f) lets homeowners run domestic power equipment rated five horsepower or less (power saws, sanders, lawn mowers, garden equipment) up to 75 dB(A) at 50 ft in the same window, and § 93.006(g) allows commercial power equipment over five horsepower (chain saws, pavement breakers, log chippers, powered hand tools) up to 82 dB(A) at 50 ft in residential or commercial zones during those hours. After 10:30 p.m., construction loses the carve-out and falls back to the residential L90 limit of 55 dB(A) at the property line plus the § 93.002(b)(2)B 'plainly audible' rule for any amplified device on site. Contractors with a one-off need (e.g., overnight concrete pour) must apply to the Health Director for a sound permit under § 93.007, which costs $90–$170+ for 1–3 days and is capped at L90 of 70 dB(A) until 8:00 p.m., then 65 dB(A) until expiration at 10:30 p.m. Emergency work — restoring property to a safe condition after a public calamity — is exempt under § 93.005(c). The state backstop is SDCL § 9-29-1 (general welfare police power); there is no SDCL chapter that preempts local construction-hours rules.