Legal rules on mowing your lawn - and the hours that could get you reported - have been revealed. Councils and local authorities can act where noise becomes a nuisance.
As a general rule, avoid mowing very early in the morning, late in the evening, on Sundays at unsociable hours or for long periods where it may disturb neighbours. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is the framework that regulates noise disturbances.
It warns excessive or untimely lawn mowing could be classified as a “statutory nuisance,” which could lead to an official complaint and possible legal action.
Key Hours and Legal Framework
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils can investigate noisy garden machinery used at antisocial hours, especially between 11pm and 7am, and issue a Noise Abatement Notice that can bring fines of up to £5,000 if ignored.
Local Environmental Health guidance typically allows everyday noise from around 8am to 8pm on weekdays, with slightly tighter rules at weekends, such as 9am to 8pm on Saturdays and about 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Expert Advice
East Coast Fencing urges: "Plan ahead. If you expect delays due to weather or personal commitments, aim to stick to reasonable hours and communicate with your neighbours if necessary. Build a mowing schedule that aligns with commonly acceptable times in your neighbourhood to ensure minimal disruption."
"Secondly, consider upgrading to a quieter lawn mower, as previously mentioned. Switching to an electric or manual mower is an investment in maintaining better neighbourly relations while adhering to modern noise control expectations. It’s both eco-friendly and considerate."
"If you mow your lawn regularly at antisocial times of the day, your neighbours might (and they have the right to) end up reporting you and councils can investigate and issue warnings for noise complaints between 11pm and 7am," says Natalie White, managing editor at Rated People. "It can be classed as being antisocial to cut your lawn before 7am in the morning or that it’s a ‘statutory nuisance’, especially if you have a lawn mower that’s quite loud."
"Generally, the permitted noise level is 10dB above the natural noise level. If the natural noise level is 24dB or under, then the permitted noise level is 34dB," explains Steve Chilton, garden expert from LeisureBench. "To put this into perspective, the average electric lawnmower makes around 70dB of sound, with petrol lawnmowers making considerably more."
