Smithers noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines

What are the noise rules and quiet hours in Smithers?

Smithers, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-06

Short answer

In Smithers, no one may make or allow noise that disturbs the peace or comfort of people nearby. The Good Neighbour Bylaw sets no fixed quiet hours. Construction and landscaping work may not unreasonably disturb neighbours before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Report noise to Bylaw Enforcement at 250-847-1600.

Key facts

General rule	No one may make, cause or permit noise in a public or private place that disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of people nearby.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording No person shall make or cause, or permit to be made or caused, any noise in peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of any person or persons in
Quiet hours	None set. Smithers' Good Neighbour Bylaw does not set fixed quiet hours.
Construction hours	No building, repair, demolition, landscaping, excavation or filling work before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on any day in a way that unreasonably disturbs people nearby. The Director of Development Services may issue a Temporary Exemption Permit; emergency work is exempt.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 5.1; Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 5.2-5.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording shall on any day before 7:00 am (07:00 Hrs.) or after 10:00 pm (22:00 Hrs.) unreasonably disturbs the quiet, the Director of Development Services may issue a Temporary Exemption Permit Emergency Work is exempt from the
Other limits	Music in licensed dance halls only between 1 p.m. and 2 a.m. Vehicles may not idle more than 15 consecutive minutes. Exhaust noise limits: 83 dBA light duty, 88 gasoline heavy duty, 91 motorcycles, 93 diesel heavy duty. Barking dogs are covered by Bylaw 1780 s. 5.8.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 4.2; Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 4.3; Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 4.4-4.5 table; Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 1780 (consolidated to January 23, 2020), s. 5.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording 1 :00 pm (13:00 Hrs.) and 2:00 am (02:00 Hrs.) the following day No Person shall permit a Vehicle to idle for more than 15 consecutive minutes, CLASS OF VEHICLE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL (OBA) LIGHT DUTY 83 GASOLINE-DRIVEN HEAVY DUTY 88 MOTORCYCLES 91 PRESSURE LEVEL (OBA) LIGHT DUTY 83 GASOLINE-DRIVEN HEAVY DUTY 88 MOTORCYCLES 91 DIESEL-DRIVEN HEAVY DUTY 93 to make any noise anywhere in the municipality, which disturbs the
Who to call, business hours	Bylaw Enforcement Officer, by phone at 250-847-1600, online (request for service) or in person at the Town Office, 1027 Aldous Street, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Written complaints are investigated.Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, How to Report a Violation · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording By phone (250-847-1600) or fax (250-847-1601) The Bylaw Enforcement Officer investigates written complaints received from the public Online (request for service)
Who to call, after hours	Not confirmed. The pages read do not state an after-hours noise line.
Fine	Bylaw notice: construction-hours offence $300; vehicle idling $75; vehicle exhaust noise $300; allowing a nuisance $350; causing a nuisance $400 (nuisance includes loud noise). The schedule has no clear line for general noise and its section numbers differ from the bylaw; early and late amounts also differ, and s. 8.1 describes the columns differently.Sources differ: Amounts are from the Schedule A table of Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011 (adopted Aug. 25, 2026). The table headings read Penalty / Early Payment (within 14 days) / Late Payment (after 28 days), but s. 8.1 of the same bylaw says the Column 3 amount is payable within 14 days, Column 4 between 14 and 28 days and Column 5 after 28 days, so which figure is the 'full' amount is unclear; confirm with the Town. No Municipal Ticket Information bylaw was found in the bylaw library. The section numbers in the notice schedule for Bylaw 2005 do not match the numbering in the bylaw itself (the bylaw's noise section is 4.1 and construction is 5.1), and the schedule has no separate line for general noise; the 'nuisance' lines are the closest.Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Schedule A, Good Neighbor Bylaw 2005 table; Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Schedule A, Bylaw 1780 table · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Allow Nuisance 4.1 a 350.00 250.00 500.00 NO Cause Nuisance 4.1 b 400.00 300.00 500.00 NO Fail to comply construction 5.2 300.00 250.00 400.00 NO Vehicle Idle more than 5.3 75.00 50.00 100.00 NO Fail to comply vehicle noise 5.4 300.00 200.00 350.00 NO Barking dog 5.8 150.00 75.00 250.00 NO
Bylaw	Town of Smithers Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Town of Smithers Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005

How it works

The Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005 says no one may make, cause or permit noise in a public or private place that disturbs, or tends to disturb, the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of people nearby. The bylaw does not set fixed quiet hours.

Steps

Report to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer: call 250-847-1600, use the Town's online request for service, or go to the Town Office at 1027 Aldous Street (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
Give your name, address, phone number and a description. Written complaints are investigated.

Good to know

Construction: no building, repair, demolition, landscaping, excavation or filling work before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on any day in a way that unreasonably disturbs people nearby. The Director of Development Services may issue a Temporary Exemption Permit; emergency work is exempt.
Music in licensed dance halls only between 1 p.m. and 2 a.m. Vehicles may not idle more than 15 consecutive minutes.
Exhaust noise limits: 83 dBA light duty, 88 gasoline heavy duty, 91 motorcycles, 93 diesel heavy duty.
Barking dogs fall under the Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 1780 (consolidated to January 23, section 5.8.
Fines are bylaw notices (see the amounts above). The notice schedule has no clear line for general noise, so confirm with the Town which applies. The early and late amounts and their timing should also be confirmed.
No after-hours noise line is stated on the pages we read.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Telkwa · Granisle · Terrace · Kitimat · Fort St James · Port Edward

Noise bylaws in British Columbia: quiet hours, construction hours and fines by municipality →

Sources

Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, Town of Smithers (read 2026-11-06)
Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Town of Smithers (read 2026-11-06)
Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, Town of Smithers (read 2026-11-06)
Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 1780 (consolidated to January 23, 2020), Town of Smithers (read 2026-11-06)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.