Knowing lawn care etiquette is important, especially if you are a new homeowner or if you are just moving to a new neighborhood.
Becoming familiar with the unspoken rules of lawn care will help to make sure that you are not disrupting your neighbors with any kind of mess or noise that you might be making outdoors when you are caring for your lawn.
In general, think about what you would be annoyed by if your neighbors were to be the ones doing it. Not doing anything that you wouldn’t want your neighbors to do is a great place to start. However, there are a few things that you might not have considered, which could be bothering the other people living in your neighborhood.
Mowing Too Early
Lawn mowers can be very loud. If you are mowing your lawn, your next door neighbors will definitely be able to hear it. While mowing lawns is an essential part of caring for your property, you should make sure that you are being considerate when you are making noise.
Mowing a lawn too early in the day would potentially cause disruption to your neighbor’s life. If you are mowing very early in the morning, it’s possible that you might even wake your neighbors up.
Be sure that you are taking the time to consider if it is too early to be mowing your lawn. Ask yourself if you think that it is a time that most people would already be awake before you turn on your lawn mower.
Mowing Your Lawn Too Late in the Day
Similar to mowing your lawn too early in the morning, you should be careful about mowing your lawn too late in the day.
In the morning, you have to think about whether or not people are already awake, as the lawn mower could wake them up. Later in the day, think about whether or not people are starting to go to bed, as the lawn mower might make it impossible for them to fall asleep.
If your neighbors have small children, make sure that it is not a time that they might be putting their children to bed.
Consider whether or not the time that you are mowing your lawn is a popular dinner time. The noise of a lawn mower could easily disrupt your neighbor’s family dinner, or even an event that they have planned.
What Time Is It Acceptable to Mow the Lawn?
It’s best to mow your lawn in the morning, but not too early. Mowing your lawn in the late morning to early afternoon is probably the most universally good time to mow a lawn. While the noise might still be bothersome, at this time, it’s most likely that your neighbors won’t be doing anything that would be disrupted significantly by the sound of a lawn mower.
An easy way to know what time is acceptable to mow your lawn is to pay attention to the times that your neighbors mow their lawns. You are less likely to be bothering your neighbors by mowing your lawn if you choose a time that they also mow their own lawns.
You should also probably avoid mowing your lawn after around 6 p.m. This is too late in the evening to be causing a disruption, as it’s the time that most people’s days are starting to wind down.
Is it Rude to Mow Your Lawn on Sunday?
In general, it’s not too rude to mow your lawn on a Sunday, as long as you are making sure that the time you are mowing your lawn is optimal. Follow similar times that you would on any other day of the week.
It’s best to mow your lawn on the weekend, which includes Sunday. If you want to be extra courteous, make sure that you only mow your lawn later in the morning on Sunday, as some people want to sleep in.
Is it Illegal to Mow Your Lawn at Night?
Mowing your lawn at night is not illegal. However, it is highly disruptive to your neighborhood, and it could lead to noise complaints. Your neighbors might even go as far as calling the police.
Never mow your lawn at night. If you are unable to mow your lawn during the day, you will be able to easily hire someone to do it for you.
Mow Your Lawn Regularly
Make sure that you mow your lawn regularly. This will make your house look nice and well-cared for. If you do not mow your lawn regularly, it could make the neighbors annoyed. When your house looks untidy, you are making your neighbors have to look out onto your untidy lawn.
Your neighbors can’t care for your lawn for you. By not mowing your lawn regularly, you are still making them live next to an untidy lawn, which could cause them to be annoyed with you, and resentment could build up.
Respect Property Lines
You should make sure that you are only making changes to your own lawn. Never mow over into your neighbor’s yard.
There are very few situations in which it is acceptable for you to mow your neighbor’s lawn. If your neighbor has asked you to mow their lawn, it’s okay to go ahead and do it. If you notice that your neighbor infrequently mows their lawn, you could ask them if they want you to help them out and mow it when you are mowing your own lawn.
The only time you should mow your neighbor’s lawn is if you have worked it out with them in advance, and they know when you will be in their yard to mow.
Clean up After Your Mower
If you are mowing your lawn and the cut grass flows out onto your neighbor’s property or the sidewalk, make sure that you clean up after yourself. This is a thing that you should do out of courtesy to your neighbors. If you leave the common areas a mess, they will understandably be unhappy with you.
