5 Lawn Mowing Etiquette Rules Everyone Should Know for a More Peaceful Neighborhood

Mowing the lawn is a must-do task in the suburbs. But when and how you mow can become a big issue with your neighbors, based on several recent Reddit threads filled with some seriously testy comments. Many of us can probably relate to the gripes, but in the interest of keeping the peace, the following mowing etiquette guidelines will help you avoid becoming THAT neighbor everyone's complaining about.

1. Respect Quiet Hours

Reddit is full of threads asking when it’s too early or too late in the day to mow. Usually, the threads are prompted by a neighbor mowing the lawn at the crack of dawn. “My neighbor had a lawn company mowing at 6:30 am on a Saturday, that was not good,” said a person on a recent lawn etiquette thread on Reddit. “My wife was sooo mad.”

There’s good reason to time your mowing with your neighbors in mind. Lawnmowers are loud. Really loud. A typical gas lawnmower generates between 85 and 100 decibels (dBs) of sound. For reference, a jackhammer makes 100 dBs and a rock concert averages around 100 dBs.

Many municipalities have ordinances designating quiet hours, usually from evening to morning. Running a lawnmower during quiet hours in such places would be illegal as well as rude. Some municipalities have ordinances setting the exact hours you can mow. So check your local laws before you cut your grass. The consensus on Reddit seems to be that 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. are acceptable times to mow.

Basic courtesy comes into play, too. “If my neighbor is having a dinner on the patio, I refrain (from mowing),” a person commented.

2. Use Care Around Parked Cars

A Redditor posted that a neighbor had mowed the lawn right up to his driveway where his truck was parked. “When I went out to load the kids into the truck to bring them to daycare, I noticed…. my truck (which is about two feet from the edge of the driveway) was completely plastered in wet grass clippings. I take care of my vehicles and my truck was just washed two days before. It’s now a mess and, although it’s all grass on that side, who knows what else was tossed at my truck (I don’t see any visible damage yet, but I haven’t washed all the grass off).”

This is a valid concern, because a rock flung by a lawnmower can travel up to 200 mph, or 300 feet per second. That’s fast enough to do serious damage to a vehicle.

One solution: Point your lawnmower’s deck away from vehicles parked nearby. “Sometimes my neighbors have a party and their guests park in front of my house. When I mow the curb strip, I discharge away from the vehicles,” a person commented. That keeps grass clippings and rocks away from nearby cars.

“He needs to wash your truck,” concluded another person.

Many lawnmowers have chute blockers to stop debris from flying around. Be sure your mower has a chute blocker and point the chute towards your own property, not the neighbor’s, to avoid making a mess or damaging their cars.

3. Keep Grass Clippings on Your Property

Grass clippings can get controversial fast. “One of our neighbors always discharges his mower out in the street and just leaves (the clippings) there. It drives everyone in our neighborhood absolutely nuts,” said a person on a lawn mowing etiquette thread.

Leaving clippings on the sidewalk in front of your house isn’t a good idea, either, but blowing them onto the sidewalk in front of the next door neighbor’s is worse, said another person. “A good neighbor makes sure none of their clippings are left on their neighbors’ property,” said another poster. Blow or rake any stray clippings back into your yard to be mulched later, or haul them to your compost bin.

4. Know Your Property Lines

If your lawn abuts a neighbor’s lawn (and most do), cut the grass up to your side of the property line. “Know your property lines and stick to them when mowing and applying fertilizers/herbicides/pest control,” advises a person on Reddit on a thread about lawn care etiquette. “I downloaded a copy of my plot from the local county website, then walked it to make sure I understood the location of the control points.”

Not everyone is so careful about observing property lines when mowing grass. “My neighbors consistently mow about two to three feet past their property line,” said another person on the same thread. “They would literally mow straight all along the main property line and then take a sharp turn onto my grass and cut a giant wedge into the corner of my lot.” The commenter goes on to say the neighbor in question ignored his “passive aggressive attempts to edge very obviously to the actual property line,” the commenter says.

5. Talk to Your Neighbors About Mowing Issues

Sure, it’s easy to go on Reddit or other social media sites and gripe about your neighbor who fires up a riding lawnmower at 6 a.m. or leaves their clippings all over the place. Venting can be healthy, and comparing your experiences to those of the hive mind can give you new perspectives. But it likely won't solve the problem (unless you're the one guilty of mowing transgressions you didn't know you were making).

Go analog and try having a courteous conversation with your neighbor about your concerns. Politely explaining why what they’re doing bothers you and suggesting a solution may just do the trick. Good communication makes good neighbors.