Noise Ordinances in Massachusetts (2026)

Brookline regulates noise under General By-Laws Article 8.15 (Noise Control). The bylaw prohibits Noise Pollution…

Lowell Code Chapter 204, Section 204-3 sets district-based dBA limits keyed to time of day. In single- and two-family…

Somerville enforces nighttime quiet hours under its noise control ordinance, restricting loud sounds audible at…

Attleboro adopted a noise ordinance giving police the ability to issue citations and fines for excessive noise. Noise…

Bristol County unincorporated areas follow Massachusetts state noise regulations under 310 CMR 7.10, which prohibits…

Brockton's noise ordinance bars loud, unnecessary or disturbing sound citywide and layers on fixed quiet hours: 10:00…

Cambridge bars outdoor power tools, loading and unloading, and construction between roughly 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., with…

Chelsea enforces noise complaints through Chapter 16 (Miscellaneous Offenses). No single statewide decibel limit…

Fall River prohibits all noises that menace health or interrupt sleep between 10 PM and 7 AM on weekdays and 10 PM to 8…

Fitchburg Code Ch. 132, Article VI (Noise Control) sets nighttime quiet hours from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. with a 50…

Lawrence's general noise curfew runs 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every day, and 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Sundays and…

Leominster Ch. 14.1 (Noise Ordinance) prohibits use of tools, equipment, or sound devices that disturb the quiet…

New Bedford prohibits blowing car horns from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. except in emergencies, and bans commercial-establishment…

Between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., Newton bars any unreasonable or excessive noise, including loud electronics, live bands, or…

No single Plymouth County quiet-hours rule exists. Each town sets its own noise bylaw under MGL c.40 §21(22), the…

Quincy regulates noise under Chapter 215 of the City Code, adopted June 7, 2010 (Order No. 2010-114). Residential zones…

Revere enforces noise complaints under Title 9 (Public Peace, Safety & Welfare) of its Code of Ordinances. No published…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars loud noise from stores, bars, and gathering places audible at 200 feet between 10 p.m…

Taunton adopted a comprehensive noise ordinance (Chapter 315) on November 2, 2021, prohibiting preventable and…

Waltham enforces nighttime quiet hours under Chapter 10 of the Municipal Code, with stricter limits in residential…

Weymouth's Code of Ordinances addresses noise as a nuisance and public peace matter. No specific published dBA limits…

Worcester enforces quiet hours between 10 PM and 7 AM on weekdays and 11 PM to 7 AM on weekends under the city's…

Norfolk County, MA does not have a county-level noise ordinance. Massachusetts counties have extremely limited…

Lowell Code Section 204-4C(8) limits erection, demolition, alteration, repair and excavation of buildings to 7:00…

Construction, demolition, alteration or excavation work in Boston is limited to 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on weekdays unless…

Brockton exempts most construction noise from its general ban, but temporary construction sites lose that exemption…

Cambridge bars audible construction, drilling or demolition noise on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., and from 6 p.m…

Chelsea limits construction, demolition, alteration and excavation noise to 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m…

Lawrence bars noisy construction, drilling, or demolition work between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if the sound crosses a…

Leominster restricts construction and demolition noise to 7 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 p.m.-5…

Construction and demolition noise in Newton is barred outside 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on…

Construction hours are fixed by each town's bylaw under MGL c.40 §21(22), the statute authorizing noise bylaws…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) limits construction noise to 75 dBA, or 85 dBA with an approved plan, only from…

Revere limits construction, drilling and demolition noise to 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and bars…

Somerville limits noisy construction work to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, with heavy…

Springfield, Massachusetts limits building erection, demolition, alteration, repair and excavation to 7 a.m.-7 p.m…

Taunton limits building construction, demolition, alteration and excavation noise to the hours between 7:00 a.m. and…

Worcester bars powered construction equipment and site work outside 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday under…

Attleboro addresses nuisance dogs under its animal control ordinance and state law MGL Ch. 140. Dogs that habitually…

Boston regulates barking dogs under its general noise ordinance and state nuisance law. Persistent barking exceeding…

Barking dog enforcement in Bristol County falls to individual town animal control officers and police departments under…

Brockton's animal control ordinance defines a barking dog as a nuisance once noise runs past fifteen minutes and…

Brookline's General By-Laws and nuisance control provisions prohibit animals from creating persistent noise…

A Cambridge owner violates the Noise Control Ordinance if a dog, bird or other animal howls, barks or squawks loudly…

Barking dogs addressed under Chelsea Code Ch. 4 (Animals) and general nuisance provisions. Excessive barking is a civil…

Fall River addresses barking and nuisance dogs under MGL Ch. 140 §157. A dog that is a habitual barker or creates a…

Lawrence law makes it illegal to let a dog or other animal become a nuisance through excessive barking, whining or…

Leominster Ch. 14.1 prohibits animal noise that disturbs neighbors. Leominster Animal Control enforces. Dog licensing…

Lowell Code Section 104-29 prohibits owners from allowing a dog to bark in the open, outside any building, repetitively…

New Bedford declares a dog that habitually howls, yelps or barks enough to disturb a considerable number of neighbors a…

Newton treats persistent barking as a public nuisance under the noise ordinance and animal control regulations, with…

A dog is a 'nuisance dog' under MGL c.140 §136A when excessive barking disrupts a reasonable person's quiet enjoyment…

Quincy Code Article III (Animal Control) prohibits owners or keepers from allowing animals to disturb the quiet of any…

Barking dogs addressed under Revere Code Title 6 (Animals) and general nuisance provisions. Excessive barking…

Somerville treats chronic barking as a noise nuisance under its noise control ordinance and animal control regulations…

Springfield, Massachusetts treats barking audible 100 feet away for 10 straight minutes as a public nuisance, with an…

Taunton's noise ordinance Chapter 315 prohibits keeping any animal or bird that causes frequent or long-continued…

Weymouth Code Chapter 6 (Animals) prohibits owners from allowing animals to disturb neighbors. The Animal Control…

Norfolk County does not regulate barking dogs at the county level. Dog noise complaints are handled by each…

Cambridge bans gas-powered leaf blowers outright and limits all leaf blowers, gas or electric, to two seasonal windows…

Somerville banned gas-powered leaf blowers in 2024, phasing them out citywide in favor of electric and battery…

Newton bans nearly all leaf blowers from Memorial Day through Labor Day, allowing only one 65 dB(A) electric or battery…

Chelsea limits power lawn mowers, hedge clippers, saws and similar outdoor implements to 7 a.m.-9 p.m. on weekdays and…

Lawrence bars outdoor power tools, including lawn and garden equipment such as leaf blowers, saws, drills, and mowers…

Leominster limits noisy yard, garden and grounds maintenance equipment, gas or electric leaf blowers, mowers and…

Leaf-blower limits come from town bylaws under MGL c.40 §21(22), not the county. South Shore towns including Duxbury…

Revere restricts outdoor use of lawn and garden tools, including leaf blowers, to 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through…

Springfield, Massachusetts restricts power lawn mowers, hedge clippers, saws and similar outdoor tools like leaf…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) exempts residential landscaping equipment, including leaf blowers, from its…

Lowell Code Section 204-4C(12) makes it unlawful to operate any radio, stereo, loudspeaker, instrument or other…

Brockton's noise ordinance treats stationary amplifiers and loudspeakers used for public address at public events as…

Playing a band, orchestra or amplified performance in a Boston residential area that exceeds 50 dBa (11 p.m.–7 a.m.) or…

Amplified music in Bristol County cities requires entertainment licenses from the local licensing board. Fall River…

Playing a radio, phonograph, loudspeaker or public address system in Cambridge is a noise violation if it's plainly…

Chelsea bans operating a "loud amplification device" (radios, stereos, loudspeakers) in public ways, private ways open…

Lawrence caps commercial loudspeaker and public address use on public rights-of-way: amplified sound cannot carry more…

Leominster bars public address loudspeakers from operating between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and caps any electronic or…

New Bedford bars playing portable radios, tape players, or other electronically amplified sound devices in public…

Amplified music audible beyond property lines is regulated under Newton Chapter 20, requiring permits for outdoor…

Norfolk County does not regulate amplified music. Each municipality requires entertainment licenses or one-day…

Amplified music is governed by town noise bylaws under MGL c.40 §21(22) and disturbing-the-peace law, MGL c.272 §53…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) exempts permitted street events from its noise chapter only when the sound is…

Revere bans running a radio, musical instrument, sound amplifier, loudspeaker or public address system so loudly that…

Somerville bars loudspeakers and PA systems from running between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and radios, stereos, and other…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars amplification devices from being plainly audible at 50 feet on vehicles, public ways…

Taunton bars playing a radio, television, phonograph or other sound-producing device loudly enough to disturb…

Worcester's excessive-noise ordinance, Chapter 9, § 1A(e), bans operating any electronic or hand-held sound…

Massachusetts regulates aircraft noise statewide through 740 CMR 24.00, the Logan Airport Noise Abatement rule enforced…

Brockton's noise ordinance exempts aircraft entirely: Section 14-50(g)(1)(a) excuses 'noise originating from aircraft…

Lowell Code Section 204-5G expressly exempts aircraft operated in conformity with federal law and FAA air traffic…

Lowell Code Section 204-3 sets a full district-by-time dBA table (residential 40-50 dB(A), industrial up to 70 dB(A)…

Fall River's zoning code flatly bars any trade, industry, or other use that is noxious, offensive, or hazardous due to…

Boston caps ambient noise at 50 dBa between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and 70 dBa the rest of the day under City Code §…

Brockton caps noise at 50 decibels during its restricted hours under Section 14-50(f). Police measure sound with…

Cambridge caps outdoor noise by zoning district under Municipal Code Chapter 8.16. Residential lot lines can't exceed…

Chelsea measures "unreasonable noise" by distance rather than decibels: sound plainly audible at 300 feet is…

Leominster caps street-legal motorcycles at 82-86 decibels depending on speed zone and bars commercial establishments…

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance caps sound from an assembly establishment, a licensed venue for live music or entertainment, at…

Newton's Sec. 20-13(g) sets hard decibel ceilings by noise source rather than one citywide number: vehicles are capped…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) caps noise reaching a receiving property at 75 dBA daytime/65 dBA nighttime in…

Revere caps outdoor noise with a Single Number Equivalent limit measured at the property's lot line under Table…

Somerville's noise ordinance sets hard decibel ceilings for any sound reaching a neighboring property line: 75 dB by…

Springfield's citywide noise ordinance covers businesses and industry too, but requires enforcement to weigh the…

Taunton caps outdoor sound under Chapter 315 with a decibel table keyed to time of day and district: up to 75 db in…

Worcester's code does not set a single flat decibel table for every noise source; most rules use a distance-based…

Boston bans selling or installing a muffler with the baffles removed, an exhaust system modified to amplify noise, or…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans loud car stereos audible 50 feet away and prohibits engine (Jake) brakes citywide…

Cambridge bans unreasonably loud vehicle horns and signalling devices, and bars repairing, rebuilding or testing a…

Chelsea bars operating a "loud amplification device" (a stereo, radio or similar equipment creating unreasonable noise)…

Fall River bans playing a car or motorcycle sound system loud enough to disturb neighbors while the vehicle is parked…

Lawrence bars playing a car radio, stereo, or musical device loud enough to create a noise disturbance over 70 decibels…

Leominster bans operating a motor vehicle or its sound system so it is plainly audible fifty feet away, or a horn…

Lowell Code Section 204-4C(1)-(4) declares unlawful any unnecessary motor noise (backfiring, racing, tire-screeching)…

Newton limits how loud vehicles can be and how long they can idle near homes. No vehicle can idle within 300 feet of a…

Revere bars sounding a vehicle horn or signaling device except as a danger warning, and separately bars repairing…

Somerville's noise ordinance separately bans three vehicle-noise problems: out-of-repair vehicles that rattle or grind…

Taunton bars unnecessary horn use, sirens on non-emergency vehicles, and any automobile or motorcycle so out of repair…

Worcester bans motor-vehicle stereos audible 50 feet away, motorcycles accelerated loudly enough to carry the same…

New Bedford bars motor vehicle radios or sound systems from creating unnecessary noise for anyone other than the driver…