One homeowner was aggravated when, according to them, their HOA's lawn care arrangements started disrupting their work.
"The gardeners my HOA hired make excessive noise," said the owner in a Reddit post. "The gardeners come almost every single day for hours. They use heavy industrial scale lawn equipment to trim the grass. It's extremely loud."
Few people enjoy the sound of a lawn mower, but according to this Redditor, it's not just unpleasant — it's a measurable problem. "Sitting here in my backyard it averages 75 decibels and reaches 85+ sometimes," they claimed. "It shakes my windows and cupboards. It makes it hard to focus on work."
If this Redditor's measurements were accurate, it might mean the lawn care company's actions are illegal. "Does this not violate city ordinances?" asked the homeowner, who said they were tempted to make a report. "According to the Noise and Vibration Control for my county residential standards are 55 decibels. Industrial is 70-75."
Commenters were shocked — and in some cases skeptical — at the amount of yardwork supposedly being done. "Every day?" asked one user. "How long does it take to mow the grass, and how often do they do it?"
"The OP is exaggerating a little," another commenter guessed.
Nevertheless, it's true that lawnmowers can be unpleasantly loud, especially gas-powered mowers. They also produce tons of air pollution — gas-powered mowers, leaf blowers, and weed eaters produced as much air pollution as 30 million cars in 2020.
One way to lower the noise level without interrupting the mowing schedule in the original poster's HOA would be to switch to electric mowers. They're much quieter, produce no air pollution, and in many cases, they're cheaper to fuel. They're also becoming more widely available; for example, Home Depot has a goal to make 85% of its outdoor lawn equipment electric in the next five years.
Making the switch could be as easy as following the HOA's own process for amending rules.
Until then, the homeowner is probably stuck negotiating with the HOA about any changes to the mowing schedule. "They could not possibly need to be there every day," said one commenter. "I'd be checking with your HOA about how much they're spending on unneeded services."
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