Proposed changes to Watertown’s Noise Ordinance will soon be discussed by the City Council, including changes of hours for lawn and garden maintenance.
In the latest in a series of efforts to update the City’s Noise Ordinance, the Council’s Committee on Rules and Ordinances held meetings in May and June to discuss changes.
The Committee’s report was presented at the June 9 City Council Meeting by Councilor Nicole Gardner, chair of the Rules & Ordinances Committee. The Committee agreed to a statement of purpose for the Noise Ordinance, which said:
“Noise pollution is a serious hazard to public health, welfare, safety, and quality of life. A substantial body of science and technology exists by which noise may be measured and substantially abated, and the people have a right to and should be ensured an environment free from excessive noise that may jeopardize their health, welfare, or safety, or degrade the quality of life. This chapter serves to address persistent noise pollution.”
One of the significant changes comes in the hours of lawn maintenance.
For domestic lawn maintenance (work being done by a resident on their property), the hours in the proposed new hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For work being done by a commercial landscaper, the proposed hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The current hours for all lawn maintenance are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and legal holidays.
“The committee agreed on these changes for two reasons,” Gardner said. “First, residents who work during the day and have responsibilities after work may need that extra evening hour to maintain their properties. Second, commercial landscaping crews generally begin work early in the day, and typically finish before 5 p.m. Restricting relatively noisy commercial operations after 5 p.m. would have limited business impact, while preserving quieter evening hours for residents.”
City-sponsored events receive an exemption to the Noise Ordinance and the Committee members agreed that post-event reviews should take place after events such as the Faire on the Square, the Watertown Arts Market, Watertown Pride, and Watertown Porchfest to see if adjustments are needed in future years, according to Gardner.
The Committee raised the topic of gas-powered lawn equipment, but the full Council had not referred that topic to the Committee. Members of the Committee requested an official referral so it could be studied further at a later date, so the Rules & Ordinances Committee could come up with a report and recommendation. On Tuesday the Council approved the referral.
A topic of significant discussion for the Committee was noise coming from commercial trash collection, especially dumpsters.
Under state law, municipalities cannot regulate the hours for commercial or industrial trash pickup, Health Director Abbey Myers told the Committee.
When noise complaints come in from commercial buildings, the Health Department works with building managers to try to find solutions. However, most complaints involve commercial or industrial trash trash collection, according to the Committee report.
Attendees of the Committee meeting asked whether properties could wait until dumpsters are full to have a truck come and empty it. Myers said that would not be practical, Gardner said, “because food waste left too long in dumpsters can create problems, such as odors, maggots, and rats.”
The Committee wanted to make sure information about the changes to the Noise Ordinance gets to businesses and residents. Members asked City staff to create a chart with the allowed hours and days for construction and demolition work and for lawn maintenance, along with the permitted noise levels, ambient, and tonal dB(A).
With residents being able to report complaints, including anonymous reports to the City’s 311 Service Center, one of the attendees of the Committee meeting said she was concerned it could be abused and used to harass neighbors.
Meyers said that the Health Department maintains records of complaints and would be able to identify patterns of repeated unfounded reports, Gardner said.
“If necessary, the department could respond appropriately, including notifying the Police Department,” Gardner said. “She also confirmed that these records are subject to public records request.”
The City Council voted to put the draft Noise Ordinance on the next City Council meeting agenda. The next scheduled meeting is June 23, 2026 at 7 p.m.
See the report from the May 13 Rules & Ordinance Committee meeting by clicking here. The final Noise Ordinance report, and the report from the June 2 meeting is available by clicking here.