Sometimes, keeping up with your lawn care can interfere with being a thoughtful neighbor. Yet, this doesn’t have to always be the case. It’s possible to strike a balance between these two important aspects, particularly in regards to lawn mowing.
The best time to mow your lawn, the time that strikes the perfect balance between your lawn’s needs and those of your neighbors, is between:
- 8.00 am and 12.00 noon, and
- 3.00 pm and 6.00 pm.
Mowing within either of these periods makes sure your neighbors are most likely awake, and you are not disturbing them during meals.
Here is what you should know.
What times should you avoid?
By law in most states you can not operate landscaping or maintenance equipment between the hours of 6:00pm to 8:00am.
You will need to check your state laws, but basically you can not operate power tools at night.
Too late or too early
You should avoid early morning or late evening hours. Basically, This is because it is when there is little to nothing else going on — sound-wise — and so the noise generated by your equipment will be more pronounced.
Furthermore, if you mow your lawn at odd hours, you will be an overbearing nuisance at the most sensitive times of the day.
Too early
If you do it too early, you will be disturbing your neighbors’ sleep. You will also be starting them in a bad mood since there is nothing as unpleasant as the constant roaring of mowing machinery right after a person has woken up.
It will be stressful for them. It will be irritating. And the resulting early-morning disruption can easily breed bad blood.
Too late
Mowing too late in the evening isn’t any better.
Your neighbor is likely trying to wind down after a day’s hard work. If they have newborns or even young children, your efforts may keep them awake. And if you have to use headlamps for illumination, you will be making things even worse.
Therefore, you should avoid doing your mowing late into the night. It is just bad etiquette.
Time disallowed by HOA
Typically, HOAs have guidelines on times in which members can use noisy equipment. This includes a noisy lawn mower. They have these rules in place so as to enhance peaceful coexistence among HOA members. And so adhering to their guidelines and stipulations is part of good etiquette.
An HOA can prescribe acceptable times for mowing. They can also outline days on which mowing isn’t allowed. Therefore, since you pledged to adhere to their rules, it is good to ensure that you stick to them. Not only so as to avoid getting a penalty, but also as part of your duty as a good neighbor.
Hours outside sound ordinance stipulations
Mowing during odd hours can also be against sound ordinances in your area. These ordinances are put in place in order to control noise pollution. And if you are in violation of any of these ordinances, you can be fined.
Therefore, before you start exploring your options as far as time slots are concerned, it is advisable that you start by checking with your local authority.
Can I mow my lawn at night?
Mowing your lawn at night is actually illegal in most states. There is a curfew on the use of landscaping or other power equipment between the times of 6:00pm to 8:00am.
This law makes sense when you think about it as people don’t want to be listening to your lawn mower at midnight.
What time is the most appropriate?
Lawn etiquette dictates that you should mow your lawn after your neighbors have woken up, but before they start thinking about winding down, preparing dinner or preparing for bed.
And so while it may be okay with your neighbors to mow at almost any time during the day, it doesn’t mean that you should. Why? Because “any time during the day” isn’t necessarily ideal for your lawn.
Your neighbors
Your neighbors will appreciate it if you limit your mowing activities to between 10 am and 6.00 pm on the weekends. And on weekdays, they will be happy with you mowing between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm.
Your lawn
But some daytime hours aren’t suitable for mowing. This is because it will either be too hot. Or it will be too late to a point where your lawn won’t have enough time to recover before the night’s cold sets in.
For your lawn, the best time to mow it should be either:
- 8.00 am to 10.00 am, or
- 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Luckily, these two ideal mowing windows fall within the 9.00 am to 6.00 pm window that etiquette guidelines recommend. Therefore, these are the absolute best times to mow your lawn.
But what if you really don't have the time to mow during the recommended hours?
There are times when you don’t have time to mow during the recommended hours. In such cases, one can still be a good neighbor by doing any of the following.
Hire a mowing services provider
If you have to leave your home very early in the morning, and can’t get home by the recommended hours, you can outsource the mowing. Hire an expert near you to take care of the work on your behalf.
They will be able to do the work within the recommended hours. And they will likely do a better job of taking care of your grass.
Use an electric mower
Electric motors are significantly less noisy than your typical gas mower. You can thus get away with taking care of your grass a little bit earlier or later than usual without causing as much disturbance to your neighbor’s lives.
Therefore, if you can afford to buy one, you should consider getting one. You can also rent one at your local supplies store.
Do other activities first
If you need to get started early and you have a list of maintenance routines to take care of, then starting with those that cause the least disturbance is a great idea.
You can start by trimming your hedges with shears, cleaning your fence, watering your plants, or doing any other low-noise maintenance activity. And so by the time you get to using a noisy lawn mower, leaf blower, or weed wacker, it will be later in the day.
Inform your neighbors
If none of the two options is possible, then the least you can do is simply let your neighbors know of your intention to mow during unfriendly hours and the reasons why.
While it won’t make the disturbance go away, it might make your neighbors a little bit more accepting of the situation. Them knowing that you aren’t doing it simply because you are being inconsiderate will help make it less of a bitter pill to swallow. This is especially so if you have legitimate reasons for doing so.
Use this free service to find an expert near
If you need help maintaining your lawn, you should visit HomeGardenGuides.com. The site offers a free service that allows you to get in contact with qualified professionals in your area.
The service that they provide quickly matches you with the top-voted local experts.
Using the website, you can get 3 estimates fast by real certified experts in your area in just 2 minutes.
Here is how it works.
- You scroll to the top of the page and enter your Zip code.
- Answer questions about your lawn needs and preferences
- Your details will be forwarded to three local experts.
- You will then receive a price estimate – in writing – for the job and some friendly advice.
IMPORTANT: There is no obligation to hire. This is a free tool and service to be used at your pleasure.
