What Time Can Construction Work Legally Take Place in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts homeowners have had quite the roller coaster these past few years. The pandemic dramatically changed the real estate landscape across the country and right here in Massachusetts. Not only did home prices skyrocket, but construction costs did as well.

In 2020, almost 62,000 single-family homes were purchased in Massachusetts, and during the entirety of the pandemic, the housing market in Massachusetts hit a record-setting 16-year high.

If you weren't a Massachusetts resident who purchased a home in the last couple of years, there's a strong chance you did some work to your home. Home remodeling and improvements skyrocketed to the unprecedented height of the $567 billion industry in 2022, according to a new report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Annual home improvement spending boasted more than 24% between 2019 and 2021, to $406 billion, an annual growth pace that more than doubles the historical average of 5%.

So we know that folks living in Massachusetts have been doing a lot of construction and renovations on their homes, which is awesome unless you live right next door.

The noise from construction can be a major pain, even if it only exists temporarily. From loud trucks, power tools and general noise from a work site can cause major headaches, especially if the workers get an early start, or have late nights.

What Hours Can Construction Legally Take Place in Massachusetts?

According to the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards any electrical, battery, or generator-powered device or equipment designed and intended for use in construction are allowed residentially during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, except legally observed holidays. There are variations of this where local and city guidelines have different clauses, but for the most part, this is the general rule of thumb.