What are Markham's construction noise hours?

Markham's noise by-law regulates noise from construction equipment and activity. In 2017 the City limited Saturday construction noise to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and kept the prohibition on Sundays and statutory holidays. Weekday construction noise is generally permitted during the daytime, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sundays and statutory holidays: not permitted without an exemption

Demolition equipment such as skid steers, excavators, breakers and saws falls within the construction rules, as do generators and compressors used on site. Quiet tasks like hand cleanup and loading by hand can be less of an issue, but noise travels, especially in plazas and townhouse rows. If neighbours can hear it, plan it inside the standard hours.

The City notes that properties near Markham Stouffville Hospital and Shouldice Hospital can fall within quiet zones with extra restrictions. If your project is near either, contact By-law Enforcement and Licensing before scheduling.

When work must happen outside the standard hours, for example to avoid disrupting a plaza's trading hours or to meet a shutdown window, the City has an online noise exemption application. It must be approved before the work. Plan ahead, because approval is not instant and conditions may apply.

The City's hours are the outer limit. Plaza managers, industrial condo boards and office landlords often set tighter windows for noisy work, loading and deliveries, and may require after-hours work for coring or breaking in occupied buildings. In those cases the landlord's rules and the City's exemption process both apply.

Markham has a separate by-law for infill construction on residential lots, which sets rules on site fencing, cleanliness and working conditions around infill projects. Road occupancy for bins on City streets also needs permission. None of these override the noise hours.

A demolition schedule in Markham usually puts machine work, breaking and cutting in the middle of the weekday window and keeps hand cleanup, sweeping and loading by hand for the early and late parts of the day. On a Saturday, the shorter window makes it a poor day for the loudest tasks. When a job has a fixed deadline, such as a plaza opening or a tenant move-in, it is better to add crew or days inside the permitted hours than to rely on an exemption that may not be approved in time. Telling neighbours what to expect, and when, also cuts down on complaints.

We schedule breaking, cutting and machine work inside Markham's permitted construction hours and keep quieter tasks, such as hand loading, for the edges of the day. When a landlord needs after-hours work, we plan for the exemption before quoting a schedule. Read about our residential demolition and concrete removal work, or request a free estimate.