Lake County, IL Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Lake County, IL, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Weekday cutoff
- 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Weekend/holiday cutoff
- 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
- Audibility trigger
- Heard 100+ feet from property line
- Scope
- Unincorporated Lake County only
- Exemptions
- Agricultural land, public-body/emergency work
- Enforcers
- Health Dept, Planning/Building, Sheriff's Office
Summary
Lake County Code § 94.07(B) bars construction, repair, remodeling, lawn mowing, and power- or non-power-tool noise audible 100 feet or more from the property line between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, and 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays, in unincorporated Lake County. Agricultural land and public-body or emergency work are exempt.
Construction noise. It is a public nuisance to perform or allow to be performed construction, repair or remodeling work, lawn mowing, or to utilize power or non power tools where the noise from such can be heard from a distance of 100 feet or more from the property line of the source of the noise between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Excluded from the provisions of this subsection (B) are lands or portions of any lands zoned and used for agricultural purposes, and work performed by or on behalf of any public body or in response to emergencies.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 26-0618, passed 6-9-2026 | State legislation current through ILCS Pamphlet 2025 #5).
Full Breakdown
m. on Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The subsection exempts land zoned and used for agricultural purposes and work performed by or for any public body or in response to an emergency. 07 entirely out of the general jurisdiction clause, the construction-hours curfew, like the rest of the noise section, binds only unincorporated Lake County; Waukegan, Libertyville, Mundelein, Gurnee and the county's other municipalities set their own construction-hour rules. 07 among the sections assigned to a single department, so it falls to joint enforcement by the Lake County Health Department, the Planning, Building and Development Department, and the Sheriff's Office.
81 warning of ordinance violation, posted on the site, handed to the person in control of it, or mailed to the owner, with at least seven days to stop the noise before further action. 02(B); the respondent can still pay the listed fine and skip the hearing. 99(B).
Violations & Fines
Each day construction noise runs past the 9:00 p.m. cutoff, or before 6:00 a.m. on weekdays or 8:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays, is a separate offense under § 94.99(B), with the fine amount set by the Administrative Adjudication Hearing Officer or the Circuit Court. A first citation typically follows an unresolved § 94.81 warning that gave at least seven days to stop the work; repeated violations can also draw a § 94.83 injunctive action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews work in unincorporated Lake County?
Does the construction noise curfew apply inside Waukegan or Libertyville?
Are farmers exempt from the construction noise hours?
What happens after a construction noise complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
How Lake County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Lake County to another location·View the Illinois noise ordinances overview
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