Guide
Construction hours, yard tools, speakers, barking dogs, exemptions and how to report.
Construction noise is banned from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and statutory holidays. Lawn mowers and other yard tools are banned from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Speakers, radios and outdoor TVs must not be clearly audible from a neighbour's property between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., and must stay under 50 decibels during the day. A persistently barking dog is prohibited at any hour.
The Town lists these as the prohibited noises; the by-law itself is the full text.
Construction noise is prohibited from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and prohibited all day on Sundays and statutory holidays.
A homeowner doing their own renovation, such as a fence or deck, is held to the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. rule but may work on Sundays and holidays within permitted hours, as long as the work needs no building permit and no contractor is involved.
Not between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Yard maintenance tools are prohibited in those hours; snow removal equipment is the one exception.
Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. an amplification device is prohibited if it is clearly audible from a neighbouring property. Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. the sound may not exceed 50 dBA measured with a noise meter.
Yes. Persistent noise from animals is prohibited at all times, and pest deterrent devices are prohibited at all times.
An exhaust that emits more than 92 decibels at idle, which the Town says most stock motorcycles stay under unless the exhaust has been modified or replaced. It is prohibited at all times.
Yes: fireworks are prohibited at all times except where another Town by-law permits them, which is around Victoria Day, Canada Day and New Year's.
Municipal Enforcement Services can issue a noise exemption permit for construction, community or life events. Apply at least 30 days before the event; a construction exemption must be applied for at least 45 days before the work starts. Applications go through the Town's online portal.
Enforcement Services officers can issue fines. Non-compliance without an exemption is subject to fees and charges under the Town's Administrative Penalty By-law 2021-038.
Those fall under the separate Nuisance By-law, which covers creating vibrations, putting smoke, dust, objectionable smells or other waste into the air, and shining indoor or outdoor lights directly from one property into another. The same officers enforce it.
Use the Town's Report a Problem tool for noise outside the permitted times, or call ServiceOakville at 905-845-6601.
The Town asks for a sound log: the time and date, how long the noise lasted, what it was and where it came from, written at the time in blue or black ink. It says the log helps Enforcement Services investigate, and provides a sample to download.
Town of Oakville
Noise and nuisance concernsTown of Oakville
Noise By-lawThe OakvilleIQ Brief
Town and Region decisions that change how Oakville works, once a week.