Montgomery, AL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Montgomery, AL, 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
- Before 7:00 a.m., after 8:00 p.m.
- Covers
- Mowers, blowers, chainsaws, hedge/weed trimmers
- Where
- All residential areas
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 40-2023, Sept. 19, 2023
- Maximum fine
- $500.00 per Sec. 18-172
Summary
Montgomery bars residents and lawn crews from running mowers, blowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and weed trimmers before 7:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. in residential areas. Sec. 18-175(e) is the city's quiet-hours rule, adopted specifically to prevent early morning noise and neighbor confrontations over yard-work timing.
It is hereby declared a nuisance and shall be unlawful to operate lawn equipment before 7:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. in all residential areas which includes, but is not limited to: weed trimmers, chainsaws, and hedge trimmers (battery, electric, or gas operated, push, walk-behind, or riding lawn mowers, blowers, chainsaws and hedge trimmers). The purpose of this section is to prevent early morning noise during quiet hours, and to prevent respective residents from potentially being the victim of confrontation or retaliation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Sec. in all residential areas, listing weed trimmers, chainsaws, and hedge trimmers, plus battery, electric, or gas-operated push, walk-behind, or riding lawn mowers and blowers as covered equipment. The amendment, adopted by Ord. No. 40-2023 on September 19, 2023, states its purpose is to prevent early morning noise during quiet hours and to prevent residents from potentially being the victim of confrontation or retaliation, language the city added after disputes between neighbors over yard-work timing. is the only time lawn equipment may run in a residential area; any use before or after those hours is a nuisance regardless of how briefly the equipment runs.
The rule sits in the same noise division as the general nuisance ban in Sec. 18-175(c), and the division's penalty section, Sec. 00, with each day of a violation treated as a separate offense. is subject to the same quiet-hours limit as the homeowner.
Violations & Fines
A lawn equipment violation under Sec. 18-175(e) carries the noise division's general penalty in Sec. 18-172: a fine not to exceed $500.00 per offense, and each day the early or late mowing recurs counts as a separate offense. The rule applies equally to homeowners and hired lawn services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I mow my lawn in Montgomery?
Does the quiet-hours rule apply to a hired lawn service, not just homeowners?
Why did Montgomery add the lawn equipment quiet-hours rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery
How Montgomery compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Montgomery to another location·View the Alabama noise ordinances overview
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