Tempe, AZ Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Tempe, AZ, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 20-8(b)-(c)
- Residential-zone window (summer)
- 6:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
- Weekend/holiday window
- 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
- State override
- A.R.S. § 9-500.52 (SB 1182, 2025)
- Civil fine range
- $100–$1,000
Summary
Tempe bars outside construction and repair work outside set daily windows that shift by season and by proximity to residential zones. Concrete pours get the widest window; work near homes starts later. State law now overrides the local hours for permitted general construction between May and October.
All other construction/residential zones in or within five hundred (500) feet. From April 15 to October 15 inclusive, all other construction or repair work shall not begin prior to 6:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. each day in or within five hundred (500) feet of a residential zone or at such other times pursuant to written authorization. From October 16 to April 14 inclusive, all other construction or repair work shall not begin prior to 7:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. each day in or within five hundred (500) feet of a residential zone or at such other times pursuant to written authorization.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
General Code Sec. 20-8(b) sets three schedules. from October 16 to April 14. the rest of the year. year-round. Sec. m. The City Manager or a designee can grant written authorization for different hours, weighing factors like neighborhood population density, traffic impact, and economic hardship, and can revoke that authorization on substantial evidence of significant disturbance, with an appeal to the City Council at its next regular meeting under Sec. 20-8(e). A stop-work order can issue from the Community Development Director or, for engineering projects, the Public Works Director, under Sec. 20-8(f). on Saturdays, with concrete pouring allowed to start an hour earlier, effectively superseding Tempe's narrower residential-zone window during that season.
Violations & Fines
Violating the construction-hours schedule is a Chapter 20 civil offense under the general penalty in Sec. 20-15: a fine of $100 to $1,000, plus a $50 default penalty for a missed hearing, with a lien available against the property under Sec. 20-15(c). Each day of continuing violation is a separate offense under Sec. 20-17, and a stop-work order under Sec. 20-8(f) requires halting the project until the Community Development Director or Public Works Director authorizes resumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can construction start near homes in Tempe?
Are Tempe's construction hours different on weekends?
Can Tempe still enforce its construction-hours ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
How Tempe compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Tempe to another location·View the Arizona noise ordinances overview
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Construction Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle construction hours.