The Resolution Path
1. Local Ordinance
2. Document Evidence
3. Resolve Dispute
The Resolution Path
Step 1 of 3Portland, OR
Noise Ordinance Overview
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Official Decibel Limits
volume_up"Decibel limits are measured at the property line. Impulse noise sources are limited to 100 dB during day hours and 80 dB during night hours."
AI Executive Summary
Portland, OR noise ordinances, primarily found in Title 18 of the City Code, prohibit noise disturbances and set quiet hours between 10 PM and 7 AM daily for sounds plainly audible in dwelling units. Decibel limits vary by zone (residential, commercial, industrial) at the property line, with specific restrictions for construction, amplified sound, and animal noise.
Specific Noise Restrictions
Construction
Construction noise is prohibited before 7 AM and after 6 PM on all days, and all day on Sundays and six legal holidays. Noise exceeding 60 dBA at the lot line is also prohibited during permitted hours. Commercial construction equipment and commercial transport vehicles are exempt from the general 10 PM - 7 AM quiet hours if not plainly audible in a dwelling unit.
Amplified Sound
It is unlawful to cause or permit any noise disturbance. Sounds plainly audible in any dwelling unit between 10 PM and 7 AM are prohibited.
Animals
Repetitive barking, whining, screeching, howling, or braying that lasts for a minimum of ten continuous minutes or thirty intermittent minutes and is plainly audible beyond the owner's property, causing annoyance or disturbance, is prohibited.
Vehicles
The normal operation of vehicles designed and used for commercial transportation of passengers, and vehicles being loaded or unloaded, are exempt from the 10 PM - 7 AM quiet hours if not plainly audible in a dwelling unit. Motor vehicles are covered in rare cases.
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