Quiet hours in Cambridge, MA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Cambridge enforces nighttime quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM weekdays and 10 PM to 9 AM weekends under the Cambridge Noise Control Ordinance, Chapter 8.16 of the Municipal Code.
Cambridge has one of the more stringent noise ordinances in Massachusetts, codified in Chapter 8.16 of the Cambridge Municipal Code (Noise Control). Nighttime quiet hours run from 10 PM to 7 AM on weekdays and 10 PM to 9 AM on Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. During these hours, no person may create unreasonable noise audible at a property line or across a residential dwelling unit partition. The ordinance applies to radios, televisions, musical instruments, parties, power equipment, and HVAC units. Cambridge Police and the Inspectional Services Department share enforcement; violations are civil infractions with escalating fines. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40 Section 21 provides the underlying home-rule authority for municipal noise regulation. Complaints can be filed via Cambridge iReport (the 311 app) or by calling the non-emergency police line.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle quiet hours.
See how Cambridge's quiet hours rules stack up against other locations.
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