Grand Forks, ND Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Grand Forks, ND, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. next day
- Covers
- saws, sanders, drills, grinders, lawn/garden tools
- Exempt
- snowblowers under § 10-0502(2)(E)
- Governing section
- City Code § 10-0502(2)(E)
- Maximum penalty
- $500 per day under § 10-0506
Summary
Grand Forks keeps mechanically powered saws, sanders, drills, grinders and lawn or garden tools off residential yards between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. under section 10-0502(2)(E), the same overnight window the code uses for radios, TVs and vehicle repair noise. Snowblowers are excluded from the tool curfew. A violation is capped at $500 per day under section 10-0506.
(E)Domestic power tools. Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically-powered saw, sander, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool, or similar device used outdoors in residential areas between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary. This section shall not apply to the operation of snowblowers.
Full Breakdown
Section 10-0502(2)(E) of the Grand Forks City Code bars operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically-powered saw, sander, drill, grinder, or lawn or garden tool, or similar device used outdoors in residential areas, between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day, if doing so causes a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary. The subsection expressly carves out snowblowers, so overnight snow clearing is not capped by this rule even though it uses a power tool outdoors. The same 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. window recurs across the rest of article 5's noise catalogue: subsection (2)(A) applies it to radios, televisions and musical instruments, and subsection (2)(D) applies it to repairing, rebuilding, modifying or testing a motor vehicle, motorcycle or motor boat, so together the article functions as Grand Forks' general nighttime quiet period for ordinary residential activity, distinct from the narrower 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. weekday cutoff set for construction noise under subsection (2)(C).
Section 10-0502(1) additionally makes it unlawful at any hour to create a noise disturbance inside city limits, while exempting noncommercial public speaking and assembly on public property. Enforcement and the penalty for any of these subsections run through section 10-0506: not more than $500 per violation, with every day a disturbance continues counted as a new offense, and the whole article exempts authorized emergency vehicles and railroad trains.
Violations & Fines
Running a power saw, sander, drill, grinder or lawn tool outdoors in a residential area between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. so that it disturbs a neighbor across the property line violates section 10-0502(2)(E) and draws the same section 10-0506 penalty as the rest of the noise article: up to $500, with each day the tool noise continues treated as a separate offense. Snowblowers are exempt from this particular clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a power saw in my yard at 11 p.m. in Grand Forks?
Are snowblowers covered by the nighttime tool rule?
Is there one citywide quiet-hours ordinance for all noise in Grand Forks?
What is the penalty for violating quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grand Forks
How Grand Forks compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Grand Forks to another location·View the North Dakota noise ordinances overview
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