ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — We’ve all heard it: the sound of a neighbor mowing their yard after the sun’s gone down. While it may be bothersome, especially to people who go to bed early, are you legally allowed to mow your yard at night?

There are no laws in Illinois specifically prohibiting a person from mowing their lawn at night, but cities may have noise ordinances to penalize residents for making loud sounds that disturb other neighbors.

Gas-powered lawnmowers operate at approximately 95 decibels, louder the 85 decibels that can, over an extended period or through repeated exposure, harm a person’s hearing.

The City of Rockford’s noise ordinance says it is “unlawful to operate any power-driven lawn or garden maintenance equipment between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or any snow blower between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m, within 600 feet of any building used for residential or hospital purposes.”

In the Village of Winnebago, the Excessive Noise ordinance specifically prohibits the use of mowers or other tools with a “loud or unusual noise” between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

However, landscaping professionals say the best time to mow a lawn is between 8 a.m. and before noon. Mowing the lawn weakens the grass and it requires a few hours to recover from the trauma of being cut, which makes it vulnerable to organism growth, such as fungus.

Brushless electric lawnmowers typically operate at 75 dB, which is quieter, but probably still would be considered subject to the noise ordinance.