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Toronto noise bylaw: quiet hours, decibel limits and how to complain
Toronto's Noise Bylaw bans clearly audible construction noise from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. on Saturdays) and all day on Sundays and statutory holidays, and leaf blowers and other power devices from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. Music measured outdoors at a home, as a ten-minute average, may not exceed 55 dB(A) by day or 50 dB(A) from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Complaints go to 311.
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Quiet hours by type of noise
Chapter 591 has no single quiet-hours rule. Each kind of noise has its own prohibited period, and where more than one rule applies to a source, "the most restrictive provision applies" (§ 591-2.10).
| Noise | Section | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Construction (clearly audible) | § 591-2.3 | 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (to 9 a.m. on Saturdays); all day Sundays and statutory holidays |
| Power devices (leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chainsaws, pressure washers) | § 591-2.6 | 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (to 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays) |
| Loading and unloading | § 591-2.4 | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (to 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays) |
| Repairing, modifying or testing a vehicle (clearly audible) | § 591-2.5 B | 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (to 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays) |
| Animals (barking, calling, whining) | § 591-2.2 | Persistent noise at any time |
A "power device" is "any equipment driven otherwise than by muscular power used in the servicing, maintenance or repair of property or lawns, including chainsaws, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, grass trimmers, power or pressure washers", but not construction equipment or snow and ice removal. The power-device hours do not apply to maintaining golf courses and public parks or to City operations.
Decibel limits
Music, voices through a PA and instruments ("amplified sound or instrument sound") and fixed equipment such as air conditioners, heat pumps and generators have measured limits. They are taken with a sound level meter at a "point of reception" in a "living area", meaning the premises of a home or a workplace, outdoors unless a bylaw officer decides that is not reasonable, in which case the lower indoor limits apply.
| Source and where measured | Section | 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. | Averaged over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amplified sound or instruments, outdoors | § 591-2.1 A | 55 dB(A) or 70 dB(C) | 50 dB(A) or 65 dB(C) | 10-minute Leq |
| Amplified sound or instruments, indoors | § 591-2.1 B | 50 dB(A) or 65 dB(C) | 42 dB(A) or 57 dB(C) | 10-minute Leq |
| Stationary sources and residential air conditioners, outdoors | § 591-2.8 A, D | 50 dB(A) | 45 dB(A) | 1-hour Leq |
| Stationary sources and residential air conditioners, indoors | § 591-2.8 B, E | 45 dB(A) | 40 dB(A) | 1-hour Leq |
The limits are averages (Leq), not peaks, so one shout does not breach them and a party that keeps the ten-minute average over the line does. Where the background noise at your home is already above the limit, amplified sound may not equal or exceed that background level. The dB(C) figures catch bass, which A-weighting discounts; see dBA vs dBC.
Unreasonable and persistent noise
For noise the specific rules do not cover, § 591-2.9 bans noise "at any time, that is unreasonable noise and persistent noise". Both words are defined. Persistent noise is "any noise or sound-induced vibration that is continuously heard or felt for a period of ten minutes or more or heard or felt intermittently for a time totaling ten minutes over a period of one hour". Unreasonable noise is noise "that would disturb the peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of a reasonable person in the circumstances", and it "does not include commonplace household or workplace sounds such as sound from furniture being moved, children playing or people engaging in conversation".
Animals have their own rule: no persistent noise, "including barking, calling or whining", at any time (§ 591-2.2). A stationary vehicle may not make persistent unnecessary noise such as a horn or engine revving that is clearly audible at a point of reception (§ 591-2.5).
How to complain
Call 311 within the city (416-392-2489 from outside Toronto, TTY 711), email 311@toronto.ca, or use the online form on the City's Noise page. For an animal, you need the address where it lives. Two things the City says up front: bylaw enforcement officers "are not emergency responders, do not respond to noise complaints on an emergency basis, and do not have the authority to immediately stop a noise event", and staff "may not investigate an isolated or infrequent noise complaint" so that persistent and recurring problems come first. A dated record of repeated noise is what moves a complaint up.
A reading helps that record but is not the evidence; the officer measures with a sound level meter. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing. It is an uncalibrated estimate of about ±10 dB, enough to tell 50 from 70 but not to settle whether 55 was crossed. Turn A-weighting on, let it run for ten minutes and note the session average; the bylaw's figure is a ten-minute average too, though the meter's is not a certified Leq. The noise complaints guide covers what to log.
Fines
On a ticket, the City lists set fines of $800 for amplified sound over the limit (indoors or outdoors) and for vehicle noise, $900 for construction in prohibited hours, and $500 for power devices, animals, loading and unloading, stationary sources and air conditioners, disturbing a religious ceremony, and unreasonable persistent noise. After a court summons, § 591-4.1 allows a fine of up to $100,000, and each offence is a continuing offence with up to $10,000 for every day it continues. Emergency work, government work and waste collection are exempt (§ 591-3.1), and anyone can apply for a noise exemption permit (§ 591-3.2).
Sources
Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 591, Noise, consolidated to November 14, 2024, including the amendments of By-laws 268-2024 and 288-2024, read from the City's official PDF on 2026-09-27. Complaint channels, the enforcement notes and the set fines quoted from the City of Toronto's Noise page (modified September 18, 2026), read the same day. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the bylaw controls. Other Ontario cities have their own bylaws, and the rules on this page apply only within the City of Toronto.
What time does noise have to stop in Toronto?
It depends on the source. Construction noise is banned from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (to 9 a.m. on Saturdays) and all day on Sundays and statutory holidays; power devices such as leaf blowers from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (9 a.m. on weekends and holidays); loading and unloading from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Music and other amplified sound has no curfew but a lower limit after 11 p.m.: 50 dB(A) outdoors instead of 55.
What is the decibel limit for noise in Toronto?
For amplified sound and musical instruments, measured at an outdoor point of reception in a living area as a ten-minute average (Leq): 55 dB(A) or 70 dB(C) from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and 50 dB(A) or 65 dB(C) from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Indoors the limits are 50 and 42 dB(A). Air conditioners and other stationary sources are limited to 50 dB(A) by day and 45 at night outdoors, as a one-hour average.
Can I complain about a neighbour talking or kids playing in Toronto?
Not under the unreasonable-noise rule. Chapter 591 says unreasonable noise "does not include commonplace household or workplace sounds such as sound from furniture being moved, children playing or people engaging in conversation".
How do I make a noise complaint in Toronto?
Call 311 within Toronto (416-392-2489 from outside the city), email 311@toronto.ca, or submit a complaint online through the City's Noise page. Bylaw officers are not emergency responders and cannot stop a noise event immediately, and the City says it may not investigate an isolated or infrequent complaint, so a record of repeated noise matters.
What is the fine for breaking the Toronto noise bylaw?
On a ticket, the City lists set fines of $800 for amplified sound over the limit, $900 for construction noise in prohibited hours, and $500 for power devices, animals, loading, air conditioners and unreasonable persistent noise. On conviction after a court summons the maximum is $100,000, plus up to $10,000 for each day an offence continues.
