Rowlett, TX Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Rowlett, TX, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Weeknight/weekday curfew
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Sunday curfew
- 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Residential daytime dBA limit
- 65 (L10) / 55 (L90)
- Residential nighttime dBA limit
- 60 (L10) / 50 (L90)
- Enforcing department
- Planning and Environmental Services
- Variance appeal window
- 30 days to Environmental Services Board
Summary
Rowlett bans outdoor power equipment in residential zones between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Sundays), and lowers its citywide decibel ceiling for the same overnight hours under § 22-204. Both rules run through the department of planning and environmental services, which can grant compliance variances.
Operating or permitting to be operated any power equipment in residential zones outdoors between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day (or 9:00 a.m. on Sundays), or which unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort, and repose of neighboring persons of ordinary sensibilities. [§ 22-204(a) table, residential]: 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. 65 (L10) 55 (L90); 10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. 60 (L10) 50 (L90); Sunday 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 60 (L10) 50 (L90).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).
Full Breakdown
on Sundays, and separately prohibits any such use that unreasonably disturbs the peace, comfort, and repose of neighboring persons of ordinary sensibilities. m. A stationary noise source that exceeds those limits by more than 20 additional decibels at any time is a separate violation under § 22-204(b), and when a source spans two land-use categories, the stricter residential limit controls. The department of planning and environmental services enforces the noise article and can inspect any property reasonably suspected of a violation with the owner's authorization (§ 22-209).
A property owner who cannot meet the standard may apply to the director for a variance permit setting a compliance timeline, considering factors like the nuisance's severity, the cost and time needed for remedial work, and the general public interest; a denied applicant can appeal to the city's environmental services board within 30 days of the director's decision (§ 22-208). Emergency work, siren tests limited to five minutes per hour, and properly maintained residential HVAC equipment are exempted from the underlying decibel table under § 22-206.
Violations & Fines
Running power equipment outdoors in a residential zone during the 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. Sunday) curfew, or exceeding the § 22-204 decibel table at any hour, is a violation of the noise article punishable under the city's general penalty, up to $500.00 per offense, with each day a separate violation absent a director-approved variance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours are quiet hours in Rowlett?
How loud can noise legally be in a Rowlett residential neighborhood?
Can I get an exception to Rowlett's noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rowlett
How Rowlett compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Rowlett to another location·View the Texas noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle quiet hours.