When Is It Too Early or Too Late to Mow Your Lawn in Texas

If you've ever thought about firing up the mower at 4 am to beat the heat in Texas, you might want to read this.

I know it's about to get brutally hot in Texas, so it's time to start adjusting my yard work schedule or risk burning my body into a crisp. But is it legal to fire up the mower before the sun rises? How late can we mow in Texas?

READ MORE: How To Mow Perfect Patterns On Your Texas Lawn

I've often wondered this, especially when it's a million degrees outside. Nobody wants to work in that kind of heat, but I also don't want to tick off the neighbors. So, where is the line between legal and just plain rude?

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Texas Law and Nuisance Noise

According to the Texas State Law Library, a nuisance is anything that “substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of land by causing unreasonable discomfort or annoyance.” That includes loud noises, like your mower at 6 a.m. or 10 p.m.

Legally, this means if your early morning or late-night mowing causes a reasonable person to be annoyed or disrupted, especially if it happens often, you could be liable under nuisance law. And in court, factors like the neighborhood’s character, how often the noise happens, and whether others are doing the same would all be considered.

Window To Mow In Texas

While Texas doesn’t set specific mowing hours, many city ordinances do. A good general rule of thumb in Texas is to mow between 7 am and 8 pm to avoid any complaints the neighbors might have.

It sure is tempting to break out the lawn equipment at 4 am with 80-degree temperatures rather than mowing as the Sun melts Texas with triple-digit temperatures.