Does city ordinance for construction work apply to us????

K

krisp23

New member
I have been pressure washing for 2 years now and have never had legal problems cleaning any day of the week, and any hour of the day. Two weeks ago on a Sunday around 9:30am, I had my first run in with the local authorities because there is a city ordinance that prevents construction work from going on any time of the day on Sunday. The area I was working in was 100% commercial. I was at a restaurant in a Home Depot parking lot. There were no houses within miles. I have recently received a fair amount of work in this area, and would like to keep working there, but this puts me in a pinch since I only work Saturday and Sunday. I know there are a large number of people in this business who work at night. How do you get around these ordinances? Since my run in, I have called most of the cities I work in, and they all have ordinances similar to this. Most are 7:00am - 10:00pm. I guess I have just been lucky in the past??? Are we truly considered construction? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
 
you need to tell them God rested on the seventh day because he created the world,and you have to work on the seventh day to make the world a better place.
 
It may that you are runing into "quiet time Ordinaces". These are designed to keep the noise down in areas where the commercial and residential areas merge. I understand in some of the Chicago Land that the PW must meet decible ratings. Sounds like you need to do some research on local zoning laws.

Douglas Hicks
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc
where Often the loudest Noise is the coyotes seranading the moon.
 
After my initial post, I called that city back to do some more research. Because the area is all commercial, and not zoned for offices or residents, there is no city ordinance against the construction work. My problem lies with the police enforcing a noise nuisance law. The law is enforced city wide and zoning has nothing to do with it. The woman at the city explained to me that even the golf courses cannot mow their grass before 7:00am or on Sunday. This still doesn't help my cause. Maybe I can build a plywood box to cover the pressure washer or something to muffle the noise???
 
A small automotive type muffler, and sometimes the actual engine company will supply a muffler that is very quiet. You need to find out what kind of decibels that you are allowed and that will give you a starting point.

Scott Stone
 
Are there businesses open on Sunday? Are there "Blue Laws'
on the books? Quite a number of towns lost out on Blue
Laws on the East Coast in the past because they did not have
a leg to stand on in their enactment.
 
Sounds like "quiet hours". Most subdivisions here are 10 o'clock for starting on weekends.

Reed
 
Blue laws:

Old out of date laws like spitting on sidewalk.

Noise laws used to be if it was created a disturbance it was to noisy after 10 PM.

Now the noise laws apply 24 hours a day, that is right, if your equipment bothers someone at say 11 AM, or 2 PM and they call the cops you can be shut down.

Ask them to test your noise level on the equipment with their decible machine to be sure it meets city/county code.

If it is within the legal level then ask them to certify it so the next time cops try to shut you down you have proof your in noise level is legal and to go find something better to do.

Jon
 
you cant buy a car on sunday in NJ.
We also have black out month's in some town's.
No contractor's except grass cutter's from june to end of sept.
DEAL,NJ.
 
You canpurchase a car on Sunday if the dealer decides that his
advertised closed day of the week is not a Sunday, he opts for
another day to be closed.
How are lawn care exempt from the ordinances?
We start diesel engines at 4AM for fishing trips and no
one has made an attempt to stop us yet.
 
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