Noise ordinances › Portland, OR

Portland noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Quiet hours in Portland

Title 18 sets "day hours" as 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and "night hours" as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (Sec. 18.10.010). During night hours every number in the Figure 1 zone table drops by five dBA, so a residential-to-residential property-line limit falls from 55 dBA to 50 dBA (18.10.010 B.1.). Independently of any meter, Sec. 18.12.020 B. makes it a violation to operate any device designed for sound production or reproduction between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so as to be plainly audible inside a dwelling unit that is not the source. Home power tools and lawn equipment lose their generous daytime allowances between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and must instead meet the ordinary Sec. 18.10.010 zone limits (18.10.030 D.). Commercial parking lot sweepers running between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. must meet the night-hour levels (18.10.070). Parking a motor vehicle of 10,000 lb GCWR or more on private property with the motor or auxiliary equipment running, so as to be plainly audible inside a dwelling between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., is its own violation (18.12.020 C.2.). Leaf blowers have an earlier curfew: banned in residential zones and the adjoining right-of-way from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week, and from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. in commercial/mixed use, industrial and open space zones (18.10.035 B.). CONSTRUCTION HOURS ARE SEPARATE AND LOOSER: commercial construction may run up to 85 dBA measured at 50 feet, but only from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. From 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., from 6 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday, and on legal holidays, construction must meet the ordinary Sec. 18.10.010 zone limits unless it holds a variance or is emergency work, and the equipment normally exempt from the 85 dBA figure loses that exemption during those hours (18.10.060 B.). Pile drivers get a tighter window: the zone limits apply to them from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. and from 6 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Monday, plus legal holidays (18.10.060 F.1.).

Decibel limits

Portland's primary standard is a numeric dBA table measured at the property line. Section 18.10.010 Figure 1 sets daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) limits by the zone of the source and the zone of the receiver. The published matrix is symmetric, so a source/receiver pair reads the same either direction, but the limit still depends on BOTH zones - this is the detail most secondary summaries get wrong by reporting a flat "55 dBA" for Portland. Residential and open space pairings: 55 dBA. Residential or open space paired with commercial/mixed use: 60 dBA. Residential or open space paired with industrial: 65 dBA. Commercial-to-commercial: 70 dBA. Commercial paired with industrial: 70 dBA. Industrial-to-industrial: 75 dBA. Adjustments under 18.10.010 B. are cumulative: subtract five dBA during night hours (10 p.m.-7 a.m.), and subtract another five dBA at all hours for narrow band or steady sound. Impulse sound has its own cap under 18.10.010 F.: peak sound pressure may not exceed 100 dB during day hours or 80 dB during night hours. Octave-band limits in Figure 2 can be substituted when the Noise Control Officer finds the A-scale inadequate (18.10.010 G.). Source-specific limits: commercial construction equipment 85 dBA at 50 feet during permitted hours, though trucks, pile drivers, pavement breakers, scrapers, concrete saws and rock drills are exempt from that number during permitted hours only (18.10.060 A., B.). Home equipment and powered tools: 60 dBA at the lot line when used inside a dwelling unit 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; outside a dwelling unit 7 a.m.-10 p.m., 80 dBA for equipment of five HP or less and 85 dBA above five HP, measured at 25 feet or the lot line, whichever is further; 50 dBA at the lot line for a home occupation (18.10.030 B., C., E.). Leaf blowers must appear on the Noise Control Officer's certified list of models not exceeding 65 dBA at 50 feet from March 1 through October 31, and 70 dBA at 50 feet from November 1 through February 28 (18.10.035 C.); on Open Space land 200 feet or more from a property line the cap is 75 dBA (18.10.035 D.). Watercraft: 75 dBA measured on shore from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 65 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (18.10.040 A.). Motor vehicle limits are not written out in the city code: Portland adopts Oregon DEQ standards at OAR 340-35-030(1)(a) and (c) by reference for ordinary vehicles and OAR 340-35-030(1)(b) and (d) for off-road recreational vehicles, while trucks of 10,000 lb GCWR or more in interstate commerce are governed by 40 C.F.R. part 202, also adopted by reference (18.10.020 A., C.). Measurement must use a Type I or Type II meter meeting ANSI S1.4-1971 (18.04.020 A.); the FAST response setting is required and slow response may not be used to determine compliance "unless directed by the Noise Control Officer" (18.04.020 E.).

What the ordinance actually says

18.10.010: "Except as specifically provided for elsewhere in this Title, no person shall cause or permit sound to intrude into the property of another person which exceeds the limits set forth below in this Section. For purposes of this Section, “day hours” shall be between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., and “night hours” shall be between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m."

18.10.010 B.1.: "During night hours, the sound levels of Figure 1 must be reduced five dBA."

18.10.010 B.2.: "During all hours, the sound levels of Figure 1 must be decreased five dBA for narrow band or steady sound"

18.10.010 F.: "Impulse sound: Notwithstanding the sound levels of this Section, no person may cause or permit the operation of an impulsive noise source that has a peak sound pressure level in excess of 100 dB during day hours or 80 dB during night hours."

18.10.010 H.: "When property of the receiver is unoccupied, as in the case of any undeveloped lot, sound levels in excess of those specified herein will be considered only as a technical violation of the standard. No citation will be issued in such instances, nor is corrective action required by the noise source."

18.12.010: "It is unlawful for any person to willfully make, continue, cause or permit to be made or continued any noise disturbance within the City."

18.12.020 B.: "Sound producing or reproducing equipment. Operating or permitting the use or operation of any device designed for sound production or reproduction in such a manner as to cause a noise disturbance; or operating or permitting the operating or use of any such device between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. so as to be plainly audible within any dwelling unit that is not the source of sound; or operating any such device on public property or on a public right of way so as to be plainly audible 100 feet or more from such device"

18.12.030: "If measurement is taken of a sound source, the provisions of Chapter 18.10 supersede this Section and will be used to determine if a violation of this Title exists."

18.04.040 X.: "Plainly audible (sound). Any sound for which the information content of that sound is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as, but not limited to, understandable spoken speech, comprehension of whether a voice is raised or normal, or comprehensible musical rhythms."

18.04.020 E.: "For purposes of determining compliance with the measurable sound level requirements found in this Code, approved sound level meters must utilize a fast meter response setting. Slow sound level meter settings may not be used for the purpose of determining compliance with this Code, unless directed by the Noise Control Officer."

18.10.060 A.: "Maximum sound levels: No person may operate any equipment or appurtenances in commercial construction activities that exceeds 85 dBA, when measured at 50 feet (15.2 meters) from the source. This standard does not apply to trucks (see Section 18.10.020), pile drivers, pavement breakers, scrapers, concrete saws and rock drills."

18.10.060 B.: "Night, weekend, and legal holidays limitation: From 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following morning, and 6:00 p.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. the following Monday, and on legal holidays, the permissible sound levels of Section 18.10.010 apply to all construction activities except by variance or for reasons of emergency."

18.10.035 B.2.: "Residential zones. No person may operate a leaf blower in residential zones, or in the adjoining public right-of-way, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following morning, seven days a week."

18.10.030 B.: "When used inside a dwelling unit, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., the sound levels generated by such equipment may not exceed 60 dBA, when measured at the lot line."

18.10.030 C.: "When used outside a dwelling unit, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., the sound levels generated by such equipment may not exceed the following levels, for equipment of the appropriate class, when measured at a distance of 25 feet (7.6 meters) or at the lot line, whichever is further from the source:" (subsection C.1. then sets 80 dBA for five HP or less and C.2. sets 85 dBA for more than five HP)

18.10.030 D.: "When used inside or outside a dwelling between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., the sound levels generated by all such equipment may not exceed those specified in Section 18.10.010."

18.10.070: "From 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., operation of commercial parking lot sweepers may not exceed the sound levels for day hours set forth in 18.10.010."

18.12.020 A.1.: "Enforcement of this Subsection is the responsibility of Multnomah County Animal Control."

18.14.020 F.1.: "Failure to reach decision within the times specified will constitute automatic approval of the application, unless specifically waived by the applicant."

18.18.020 B.: "Each specific incident and each day of noncompliance will be considered a separate violation of this Title."

18.18.030 A.1.: "For each separate violation, a civil penalty of up to $5,000 may be assessed."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Portland City Code Title 18, Noise Control (title replaced by Ordinance 191944, effective January 1, 2025). Ch. 18.02 title and policy statement; Ch. 18.04 standards and definitions (18.04.020 measurement, requiring a Type I or Type II ANSI S1.4-1971 meter and, at subsection E., the FAST response setting; 18.04.040 definitions, including "noise disturbance" at subsection Q. and "plainly audible" at subsection X.); Ch. 18.06 responsibilities and authority (18.06.020 Noise Review Board, five Mayor-appointed members serving without remuneration; 18.06.030 responsibilities of the City Administrator, Noise Control Officer and Board); Ch. 18.08 city bureaus; Ch. 18.10 Maximum Permissible Sound Levels (18.10.010 land use zones and the Figure 1 dBA table plus night and steady-sound adjustments, impulse limits and Figure 2 octave bands; 18.10.020 motor vehicles; 18.10.030 home equipment and powered tools; 18.10.035 leaf blowers; 18.10.040 watercraft; 18.10.050 motor vehicle racing events; 18.10.060 construction activities and equipment; 18.10.070 parking lot sweepers); Ch. 18.12 Noises Prohibited (18.12.010 noise disturbance; 18.12.020 specific prohibitions covering animals, sound producing or reproducing equipment and parked heavy vehicles; 18.12.030 measurement supersedes); Ch. 18.14 exemptions and variances; Ch. 18.16 ordinance additional to other law; Ch. 18.17 rulemaking; Ch. 18.18 enforcement and penalties (civil penalty up to $5,000 per violation); Ch. 18.20 severability. Separately, Portland City Code Title 17, Ch. 17.101 Leaf Blowers, phases out gasoline leaf blowers.). Verified against the live code on 2026-08-11. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Portland

File through the Noise Program's online form at portland.gov/ppd/noise/noise-concerns, which handles both Title 18 noise and Title 17 gasoline leaf blower complaints. You must live in, own property in, or operate a business in Portland to file, the city asks for specific dates, times and detailed descriptions (vague reports are deprioritised or not processed), and you should allow at least two weeks for processing. You can also call PDX 311 (dial 3-1-1 in Portland, or 503-823-4000 from outside Multnomah County or on VOIP, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week excluding federal holidays). The Noise Control Program in Portland Permitting and Development takes complaints at noisecomplaints@portlandoregon.gov and 503-823-7350; general and construction questions go to noise@portlandoregon.gov and variance matters to variances@portlandoregon.gov; Oregon Relay Service 711. For noise happening right now late at night, when the Noise Program office is closed, use the general non-emergency line for Portland and all of Multnomah County, 503-823-3333 (this is the city-wide non-emergency number, not a noise-specific line). Barking dogs and other ordinary animal noise go to Multnomah County Animal Services rather than the city.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Portland. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

TWO STANDARDS RUNNING IN PARALLEL. Chapter 18.10 sets numeric dBA limits, Chapter 18.12 bans "noise disturbance" and plainly-audible sound with no number attached, and 18.12.030 resolves the overlap: once a measurement is taken, the Chapter 18.10 numbers control. So an unmeasured 2 a.m. stereo can be cited on audibility alone. "Noise disturbance" is defined broadly at 18.04.040 Q. as sound that injures or endangers health or "annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." ZONING MATTERS BOTH WAYS. The limit depends on the zone of the source AND the zone of the receiver (18.10.010 A.), so an industrial neighbour is allowed 65 dBA at your residential line where another house would be held to 55. A dwelling sitting in a non-residential zone normally gets only the non-residential standard unless a complaint is filed and the dwelling predates the noise source, in which case it gets 65 dBA in commercial/mixed use and 70 dBA in employment or industrial (18.10.010 C.). VACANT LOT LOOPHOLE. If the receiving property is unoccupied, an exceedance is "only ... a technical violation," no citation issues and no correction is required (18.10.010 H.). VARIANCE REGIME. Anyone can apply for a variance from any standard (18.14.020). The Noise Control Officer and the Chair of the Noise Review Board decide who reviews it, based on whether the noise impact is significant; Noise Review Board applications get newspaper notice plus notice to affected neighborhood associations. Decision deadlines are in the code: 10 business days for the Noise Control Officer, 45 business days for the Noise Review Board, shortened to 3 or 7 business days on payment of a surcharge equal to the original fee. Missing the deadline is automatic approval, which expires in 180 days if the applicant did not waive it (18.14.020 F.). Separately, the Noise Program's own construction guidance (not the code) tells applicants to file at least 4 business days before the activity, and 45 business days before the Noise Review Board meeting for long-term projects. Board members serve without pay (18.06.020). SEASONAL HEAT RULE, ADOPTED ONE SUMMER AT A TIME. Portland has adopted an interim administrative rule in each of the last two summers letting construction start at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday without a variance when the National Weather Service predicts over 85 degrees F by 3 p.m. The 2026 rule took effect May 15, 2026 and the Noise Program states it "will be in effect for 120 days and will expire on Sept. 15, 2026"; the 2025 rule was announced separately in April 2025. It does not apply on Sundays or legal holidays, excludes pile driving, concrete saws, jackhammers, rock crushers and Vactor trucks, and requires the contractor to email variances@portlandoregon.gov and notify neighbors within 500 feet. Each rule carries its own expiry date, so check the Noise Program's news page for the current season's rule rather than assuming a past one is still live. PILE DRIVING NOTICE. The site owner must mail notice to every residence within 500 feet at least 30 days before pile driving begins (18.10.060 F.2.). LEAF BLOWERS ARE DOUBLY REGULATED. Title 18 caps their noise and hours; separately Title 17, Chapter 17.101 phases gasoline leaf blowers out entirely - banned January 1 to September 30 as of January 1, 2026, and banned year-round as of January 1, 2028, with penalties escalating from a warning to $250, $500 and $1,000. BLANKET EXEMPTIONS (18.14.010): emergency work, sources regulated by federal law, non-amplified sound from athletic and entertainment events other than motor vehicle racing, agricultural and forestry operations in the FF zone, blasting under permit, and warning devices operated continuously for three minutes or less. Portland International Raceway is deemed an industrial zone in operation before January 1, 1977 for racing noise (18.10.050 C.). SPLIT ENFORCEMENT. Animal noise is in the code at 18.12.020 A. with a ten-minute continuous or thirty-minute intermittent threshold, but enforcement is split: ordinary pets go to Multnomah County Animal Control (A.1.), while permitted animal facilities, kennels and livestock go to Portland Permitting & Development (A.2.). Motor vehicle noise runs on Oregon DEQ standards adopted by reference and is enforced by police or the noise control officer; a driver can get a vehicle citation dismissed by filing a DEQ certificate of compliance with the court clerk at least 5 days before the appearance date (18.10.020 E.). The Noise Program states that "in most cases" the City cannot enforce against animal noises, aircraft, trains, moving vehicles, watercraft, garbage collection trucks, non-amplified human voices, children at play, daycare facilities, or emergency warning devices. PENALTIES up to $5,000 per violation, with each day and each incident counting separately (18.18.020 B., 18.18.030 A.1.), plus monthly administrative enforcement fees after a citation. CODE CHANGES: Title 18 was replaced in full by Ordinance 191944 effective January 1, 2025, but that was the government-transition recodification (enforcement is now vested in the City Administrator, 18.18.010) rather than a change to the sound limits. The Noise Program separately says the code "has not undergone significant changes since 2001" and a Noise Control Code Amendment Project running since fall 2023 is due to reach City Council in 2026, so the substantive provisions may change.

Document it before you report it

Portland's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Portland noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.