Ask Chicagoist: What's That Hammering?
By Sarah in Miscellaneous on May 6, 2005 3:30PM
Dear Ask:
There's a condo being built not far from my apartment. Everyone in my building keeps complaining to each other that they start construction so early in the morning (sometimes before 8am! and on weekends!) and continue well into the evening. Is there anything we can do? Anyone we can call? (311?) Are there any regulations about how early construction can start or how late it can go? It's really noisy and annoying to wake up at 8am on a Saturday morning to "BEEP BEEP BEEP" and noisy hammering.
Good morning Sleepyhead,
How rude! We hate when anything disrupts our Sunrise Mimosa.
To investigate, we made some calls to the City's Environmental Complaint Line(312.744.7672) and to 311. Here's the skinny:
Construction on residential (and most commercial) buildings can start at 8am and proceed, noisy as all get-out, until 9pm, 7 days a week. That’s right: just try to sing in church with that racket outside! And some commercial construction projects are eligible for 24-hour permits, as are certain City projects (like tearing up a runway, ahem).
If your hammering friends are actually working outside the 8am-9pm hours, it’s “911: Call The Police Time", as they like to say at 311. Have the construction site’s address (or street corner) when you call, so you don’t sound like an idiot.
311 said your Alderman doesn't really have much pull here, but we've heard a few high-drama stories of Alderpeople getting involved in these situations, with good results. (Who's my Alderman, you ask? Find out!)
Of course, Ask Chicagoist would like to remind Our Dear Readers that the individual members of the construction crew are not to blame; they are hard-workin’ folks like the rest of us. (In fact, Ask Chicagoist guesses they work significantly harder than most of us.) But: bust their boss! And for the crew, how about marching right over with a thermos of hot coffee? They must be exhausted.
Hear a funny sound? Need some advice? Email Ask(at)chicagoist(dot)com.