VERIFY | Lawnmowers are not allowed in the DMV before 7 a.m.

WASHINGTON — If you hope to sleep in and a neighbor wakes you up by mowing their lawn, you might exit bed in a foul mood. That was the case for one Prince George’s County resident who called the police at 7:19 a.m. Friday, asking them to shut down her neighbor’s early-morning lawn mowing.

“Caller would like us to go out to her neighbor’s and tell them to stop cutting their grass this early in the morning,” a dispatcher told an officer over the police department's radio system.

THE QUESTION

If someone in the greater Washington D.C. area mows their lawn at 7:19 a.m., could that violate local noise ordinances?

THE SOURCES

City of Alexandria, Virginia

Arlington County, Virginia 

Fairfax County, Virginia 

Loudoun County, Virginia 

Prince William County, Virginia 

Charles County, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland

Prince George's County, Maryland

Washington D.C.

THE ANSWER

The earliest someone may use a powered lawnmower is 7 a.m., depending on the jurisdiction and the day.

WHAT WE FOUND

We checked the codes of ordinances for the following local governments. They all said 7 a.m. is the earliest lawnmowers are allowed to be used on weekdays.

Arlington County, Virginia: 7 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. weekends/holidays

Prince William County, Virginia: 7 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. weekends/holidays (this ordinance does not distinguish between lawn equipment and other noise sources)

Charles County, Maryland: 7 a.m., (this ordinance does not distinguish between lawn equipment and other noise sources)

Montgomery County, Maryland: 7 a.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. weekends/holidays

Washington D.C.: 7 a.m. (this ordinance does not distinguish between lawn equipment and other noise sources)

Since the call to police in Prince George’s County came in at 7:19 a.m., the mower was within their rights to cut their grass at that time.