After a long and grueling day, one would assume that nothing could be more welcome to the senses than peace and quiet – but such is not always the case. The thunderous roar of your neighbor’s lawn mower can disrupt even those looking for much-needed rest, forcing them to ask themselves why someone seems intent on disturbing their evening tranquility.
But it may have been you who was guilty all along; with busy daily lives seemingly becoming ever busier managing work or family commitments in addition to other tasks like yard work, many are left asking if they’re doing right when attempting late-night landscaping activity.
And if you love your lawn, the next question would be to ask if it benefits your lawn.
Mowing is a crucial lawn maintenance procedure that should be carried out regularly to promote healthy grass growth, get rid of pests, avoid inadvertent damage, hasten the recovery process of your lawn, and obtain nourishing mulch. It is probably the only love language you can show your lawn.
In other words, when you mow at the right time and height, your lawn becomes denser, pests are kept at bay, and your yard looks better. It would also save you from being a nuisance on your street. Need I say, how important it is to have a good relationship with your neighbors? You’d be surprised at how mowing your lawn can generate problems with your neighbors.
Table of Contents
Is It illegal to Mow Your Lawn at Night?
While it is not illegal to mow your lawn at night, it is a very disturbing and noisy activity to carry out at late hours of the day. According to research, there is no law restricting people from mowing their lawns whenever they want. But the same research, as well as the experience, has shown that lawnmowers are very loud.
While some are said to be less noisy, most produce sounds as much as 80 to 85 decibels. This noise is enough to have the police asking you questions and even getting you to pay a fine.
The law does not clearly state that you should not use your lawn mower at night but it states that every action of public disturbance is punishable by the law. Every individual has a duty referred to as the duty of care to their neighbors.
This means that you should do everything within your means to ensure that your actions or activities do not affect your neighbor in any way, not physically or psychologically.
These actions include whatever would disturb the peace and the enjoyment of the comfort of your neighbors in their homes. To help ensure that there is order in this law, most States have created rules with a time for curfew and quiet times.
Every state and local community has its own time but it is most times generally from the hours of 7 pm to 9 pm on weekdays and 8 pm to 9 pm on weekends. You should check with your local authorities to know about the time for where you reside.
Also Read: Reasons for Green Grass Turning into Brown
How Late Can You Mow Your Lawn?
Your local rules and where you reside completely determine how late into the night you can mow your grass, as stated earlier. Despite the possibility that you could mow until 10 p.m. or later, it’s crucial to remember that just because something is legally allowed doesn’t always mean you should do it.
Although the law has nothing against being rude to people, and not giving up your seat for a pregnant or elderly passenger on the bus, the public strongly disapproves of these behaviors. Actions such as these are no longer about the law but now about society and about being considerate.
If there are no ways you could work around the time, remember to communicate with your neighbors and possibly have an agreement. The importance of that communication cannot be over-emphasized.
It would be saving you a lot of fines and friction in your relationship with your neighbors. Also understand that although it may be permissible to mow as early as 7 am or as late as 10 pm, not everyone has a consistent sleeping or waking schedule.
Now, apart from the noise lawnmowers make when in use, mowing at night is not the best or safest thing to do to your lawn. According to experts, there are specific times for mowing during the day that provides the best result.
Early hours in the morning, from 7 am – 8 am are not a good time. It’s probably the worst time because the grasses are still wet with fresh morning dew.
This state makes it hard to cut the grass and even when it does, the grass comes out looking poorly cut. Then it becomes prone to diseases and vulnerable to infections. The wet grass could even get stuck to the lawn mower and clog the blades or other parts of the mower.
Nighttime is when the grass gets to recover from mowing. So if the lawn is mowed at night, it has no time to recover before dew falls on them again.
Mid-morning between the hours of 8 to 10 is the best time to mow. This is because the grass is dry and before the next dew falls, the grass would have recovered from the mowing.
If at all, your day gets busy and you do not mow within those hours, then late evenings around 4 pm to 6 pm is another good time. It might provide lesser time for recovery but it is still enough for recovery.
The darkness at night lessens how well you see especially without a bright flashlight. While mowing, you could trip on something and fall. If you are lucky, you could get minor scratches but you could get hurt badly too. If it’s not you, it could be the mower.
It could get stuck on something or hit hard on something and develop a fault. Either way, something bad happens. If these reasons are not enough to stop you from mowing at night, then I do not know what else to say other than stay safe.
Is It Too Late To Cut Grass At 8 pm?
In an environment filled with other houses and neighbors who are most likely to be sleeping, enjoying cool family time, or just resting, 8 pm is a very late time to mow your lawn. Unless you live far from other people and in the mountains, you shouldn’t think to mow as late as 8 pm.
It is not just about disturbing, you could get a fine. It is also not the ideal thing to do to your lawn because it exposes your lawn to a lot of damage and ill experiences.
What Alternatives Should I Consider?
Instead of mowing at night and attracting fines, here are other things you could do.
- Mow in sections
You can divide your lawn into sections according to your work schedule. With the lawn divided into bits, you will be able to mow your lawn without having to work late at night even if your schedule for the day is tight. You can mow one section of the lawn before work and the other after work.
- Hire someone
Since you have a busy daily schedule, it would save you a lot of stress and worry once you can hire someone to mow your lawn. It could even be your neighbor’s kid. Think about it, it will be like killing two birds with one stone.
You get to develop a good rapport with your neighbor while keeping your lawn looking fresh and yourself away from paying fines. It is worth it. Compared to paying a fine, paying someone to do the mowing is lesser money. You can also get a lawn care service company if you do not trust anyone enough to handle your lawn.
- Plant Slow-growing grasses
Slow-growing grasses only require to be cut a few times. They are like a teenage kid trying so hard to grow a beard. They grow slowly and hopefully before they require a cut, you would have had time enough on your schedule to care for your lawn. An example of this type of grass is fescue grass. It is a low-maintenance grass and even does not require fertilizer.
- Use a reel lawn mower
This type of lawn mower is way quieter than an electric or gas lawn mower. It allows you to mow your lawn with nobody noticing or calling any attention. However, the law in some communities does not allow activities such as mowing to be carried out late at night.
Therefore, using a reel mower is quite a fishy hack and could get you in trouble when caught. It is a good way to be a nice neighbor but just make sure you do research about the quiet time for your area before adopting this plan.
Conclusion:
It is reasonable and humane to understand that mowing any time after 6 or 7 pm will interrupt the peace of your neighbors. The time you choose to mow your lawn, especially at the late hours of the day should not only be dependent on your schedule.
It should be more dependent on and in accordance with the rules and ordinances of your local authorities. Now you see that mowing a lawn might seem like a fun activity for you but so not fun for your neighbors.
