Life is crazy, right? I mean, just do a YouTube search for life hacks, and there will be an endless stream of videos you can watch to learn how to make life easier. I’m sure you’ve felt that way about your lawn sometimes when trying to find time to mow it. There never seems to be enough time in a week to get it done. To help, maybe you’ve considered night mowing but have wondered – is it illegal to mow your lawn at night?
Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to learn about cutting grass at night.
Is It Illegal to Mow Your Lawn At Night (The Short Answer)
Just operating a lawn mower at night is not technically illegal, as there is no law in the U.S. prohibiting this. However, the noise the mower makes is what can get you into trouble. And that all depends on where you live.
Mowing the Lawn at Night: What Does the Law Say?
Now you know that only starting a lawnmower at night shouldn’t get you in trouble since no laws explicitly state that. But what about the noise? That’s tricky, and you need to pay close attention to local rules because there’s no set-in-stone approach around the country. Instead, wherever you live will have its unique approach to noise statutes.
For instance, the City of Milwaukee has noise ratings on districts (residential, commercial, parks, etc.). For the residential district, the noise rating is limited to 55 dB during the day (7 am to 9 pm) and 45 dB at night (9 pm to 7 am).
As another example, the City of Orlando uses types of property (residential, multi-family, etc.) based on multiple classes for their maximum noise levels. For the residential type, the maximum noise level is 60 dBA/65 dBC during the day (7 am to 10 pm) and 55 dBA/60 dBC at night (10 pm to 7 am) for Standard Class A property types.
These are just two examples of the many municipalities across the country, and the key parameters are different between them. So that should give you an idea of how many different combinations exist around the country and why it’s essential to be aware of the requirements where you live.
Because you don’t want to be like this guy!
If You Have Absolutely No Other Choice But to Cut Grass At Night…
Hopefully, you don’t find yourself in this situation regularly because if you do, you need all the life hacks you can get your hands on!
But if you do, or if you are in a position where you need to cut grass at night because you are leaving on vacation the next day, days of rainy weather are looming, or you have to deal with some other unique circumstance, you do have some options available.
Electric Mower
One option to minimize noise when cutting grass at night is to use an electric mower. Now, these mowers may not be completely silent so if you are going to purchase one, make sure you are aware of the sound output to ensure you are staying within any municipal requirements.
Also, remember that rotary mower blades will shred and tear the grass when it cuts. So, when combined with the moisture that typically accumulates on the grass at night, your grass may be more susceptible to fungi and disease.
Reel Mower
Another option to manage noise while night mowing is to use a reel mower. This is probably the ideal solution, especially if you have a smaller lawn. And since the blades on a reel mower provide a cleaner cut, the grass moisture will pose less risk to your freshly cut lawn.
Communicate With Neighbors
In addition, you could proactively communicate with neighbors to let them know your situation and why you need to cut grass at night. If a noise complaint is going to arise, it’s probably going to be from a direct neighbor who the noise from a lawnmower would most impact.
With that being said, if your municipality does have formal noise ordinances, there is still some risk with only using this approach.
Safety Concerns
Keep in mind that mowing the lawn at night comes with its own set of unique risks. Namely, it’s dark, and you won’t be able to see much of anything unless you have existing lighting that reflects out into your yard. That’s kind of a big deal.
So if you’re going to forge ahead with this approach, ensure you have adequate lighting, either from your house, through a headlamp, or some other lighting setup based on your house/yard layout.
You also need to make sure you keep an eye out for any obstacles that could be in the yard – they will be a lot harder to see at night (unlike during the day), and you don’t want to risk any kind of injury to yourself by running over things or tripping on them.
Hire A Service
Finally, if needing to cut grass at night becomes a regular occurrence, it might be time to consider hiring someone to mow your lawn for you during the day.
That could be a landscaping or mowing service, or even a kid from the neighborhood. I understand there is a cost to this, but it is a win-win situation – your neighbors will be happy, and it’s one less thing you need to juggle in your already busy schedule!
Wrap Up
Is it illegal to mow your lawn at night? That’s what you came here to find out. And as you learned, technically, it’s not.
But you’re not entirely off the hook. Make sure you know any local noise ordinances, so you can keep your neighbors happy and stay out of trouble. Both are good things to maintain a happy home!
And if mowing at night needs to happen in your life, then consider the suggestions above and just be careful. Happy cutting!
Leave a Reply