Portland, ME Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Portland, ME, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Winter cutoff
- 7:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m., Sept 1–May 31
- Summer cutoff
- 8:00 p.m. start, June 1–Aug 31
- Weekend/holiday floor
- no start before 8:00 a.m.
- Coverage area
- within 500 ft of homes, hospitals, nursing homes
- Noise threshold
- over 50 decibels
Summary
Portland bars loud construction work near homes, hospitals, and nursing homes during set overnight hours: 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. from September through May, 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in summer, and never before 8:00 a.m. on weekends or legal holidays. The cap applies within 500 feet of residential or care buildings in the city's R-zones.
Sec. 17-18. Construction activities. (a) Within the R-zones, from September 1st to May 31st, no person shall engage in construction activities generating noise exceeding fifty (50) decibels, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., of the following day within five hundred (500) feet of any building used for residential, hospital or nursing home purposes. From June 1st to August 31st construction activity may continue until 8:00 p.m. Any other language notwithstanding, no construction activity shall begin before 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 17-18, "Construction activities," is Portland's operative nighttime quiet-hours rule, though it targets construction noise specifically rather than all residential noise. the following day, within 500 feet of any residential, hospital, or nursing home building. on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, regardless of season. Subsection (b) defines what counts as covered construction activity broadly, operating power or heavy equipment for road, street, or bridge work; installing or repairing utility lines, pipes, wires, or cables; excavation and building construction, including landscaping work; and renovating, repairing, remodeling, or demolishing a building's exterior or foundation.
Subsection (c) carves out emergency utility repairs needed to restore service, and lets the public works authority or the office of building inspections approve off-hours work for construction of a genuinely unique, non-recurring character, provided the contractor gives advance notice of the time and scope in a manner the public works authority approves. This section sits in Chapter 17's general offenses article alongside the broader disorderly-conduct noise prohibition in Section 17-17(c), which separately bars loud or unnecessary noise on streets and public places without setting fixed clock hours.
Violations & Fines
Running noise-generating construction equipment during the restricted overnight hours, or before 8:00 a.m. on a weekend or legal holiday, violates Section 17-18 and is enforceable by the city; general disruptive noise elsewhere is covered separately under the disorderly-conduct penalties of Section 17-17(d), which start at a $100.00 minimum fine for a first offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can construction noise start in Portland residential areas?
Does Portland's construction noise rule apply everywhere in the city?
Are emergency repairs exempt from the quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
How Portland compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine noise ordinances overview
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