Salem, OR Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Salem, OR, 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 7:00 a.m.
- Domestic power equipment
- Barred overnight regardless of audibility
- Idling engines
- 10+ min audible in dwelling barred
- Heavy equipment
- Pile drivers etc. barred overnight
- Exemptions
- Emergencies, alarms, disaster repair (SRC 93.030)
Summary
Beyond its construction-hours rule, Salem bars a set of everyday noise sources between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under SRC 93.020: domestic power equipment such as lawn mowers and power tools, idling vehicle engines running more than ten minutes, motor vehicle repair or testing, and pile drivers or similar heavy equipment. Each is enforced as its own noise disturbance per se.
(c)Domestic power equipment. It shall be unlawful to operate, or to permit the operation of, any domestic power equipment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day.(f)Idling engines on motor vehicles. It shall be unlawful to operate any idling engine for more than ten consecutive minutes in a manner that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day.(g)Motor vehicle repair and testing. It shall be unlawful to repair or test any motor vehicle in a manner that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day.(j)Pile drivers, steam shovels, pneumatic hammers, etc. It shall be unlawful to operate, or permit the operation of, any pile driver, steam shovel, pneumatic hammer, derrick, hoist, or any other similar equipment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020 rather than one single curfew clause. 005 to include power hand tools, lawn mowers, power blowers, garden equipment, and snow removal equipment used for home or building repair, maintenance, landscaping, alteration, or home manual arts projects, during that window. 020(g) bars repairing or testing a motor vehicle in a manner plainly audible within a dwelling during the same window. m. 020(d), and the idling and vehicle-repair rules require the sound to be plainly audible inside a dwelling while the domestic-equipment and heavy-equipment rules apply regardless of audibility inside a structure.
030 exempts a short list of sounds from all of these curfews, including work to restore property after a disaster, burglar or fire alarms sounding no more than ten minutes, and emergency vehicles. 990(b).
Violations & Fines
Running domestic power equipment, letting a vehicle idle more than ten minutes audibly, repairing or testing a vehicle audibly, or operating pile drivers or similar heavy equipment between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. each violate SRC 93.020(c), (f), (g), or (j) and are infractions under SRC 93.990(a). A second violation of SRC 93.010 or 93.020 within six months of a prior conviction is a misdemeanor under SRC 93.990(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
What noise sources are barred overnight in Salem besides construction?
Can I use a leaf blower or lawn mower at night in Salem?
Is there any exception to Salem's nighttime noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
How Salem compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Salem to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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