Who's Right?Neighbour doing DIY at 8am on Saturday: is it allowed?
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In short
In France, no national law sets DIY hours: prefecture or town hall orders do, and several départements only allow noisy DIY from 9am on Saturdays. Even within the allowed hours, noise that is too loud, too long or too repetitive can be penalised.
Both sides
I'm redoing my kitchen myself and I work Monday to Friday. Saturday is the only real day I get to make progress. I start at 8am so I can finish early and leave everyone in peace in the afternoon. I never make noise at night or on Sundays. I don't see why I'm being blamed for doing DIY in my own home in broad daylight.
For five Saturdays in a row, the drill has woken me up at 8am sharp. I finish work late on Fridays, and Saturday morning is my only chance to sleep in. I get that he has work to do, but not at that time, every single week. In the end I banged on the ceiling because I didn't know what else to do.
The verdict
Élodie has the stronger case. There's no national DIY timetable in France, but many local orders start Saturday hours later than 8am. And even when the time is allowed, the same noise every Saturday can become a real nuisance. Repetition is exactly what counts.
Karim isn't wrong about everything: he works during the day, never at night or on Sundays, and he has little free time. But 'it's my home' isn't enough when the noise goes through the walls. He should have checked his town's rules before picking his hours.
As for Élodie, banging on the ceiling raises the tension without fixing anything. A note or a calm chat after the first Saturday would probably have saved five weeks of frustration.
The compromise
Karim checks the local order at the town hall and only uses the drill and saw during the permitted hours, saving quiet jobs like painting, assembling and tidying for early morning. He leaves Élodie a note with the schedule of the noisiest stages, and she tells him directly if a particular Saturday is a problem.
What the rules say
At national level, there are no set hours when noise is always allowed or always banned. The only exception is night-time disturbance, between 10pm and 7am. DIY hours are therefore set locally: prefecture or municipal orders can ban certain noises at certain times, DIY work for example. These hours vary from one département and town to another. In a block of flats, also check the building's co-ownership rules. For example, in the Doubs département, the prefecture order allows noisy DIY on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm and from 3pm to 7:30pm. There, drilling at 8am would fall outside the permitted hours. Even within the allowed hours, noise can be penalised if it disturbs others by its duration, repetition or intensity, by day or by night. The fine can be up to €450. To find out which rules apply where you live, ask your town hall (mairie).
Sources:
- Troubles de voisinage : bruits créés par des comportements anormaux (service-public.gouv.fr)
- Troubles du voisinage : que faire en cas de nuisances ? (masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr)
- Réglementation: principales dispositions de l'arrêté préfectoral "bruit" (doubs.gouv.fr)
General information, not legal advice.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I find the DIY hours for my town?
Ask your town hall: it enforces the prefecture order and can adopt stricter local rules. Many prefectures also publish their noise order on their website.
Is DIY allowed on Sundays in France?
It depends on the local order. In the Doubs, for example, noisy DIY is only allowed on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 12pm.
What does a noisy neighbour risk?
Noise that disturbs others by its duration, repetition or intensity can be penalised, by day or by night. The fine can be up to €450, and the device causing the noise can be confiscated.
What if talking to my neighbour doesn't work?
Send a letter saying where the noise comes from, how it affects you and that you want it to stop. If nothing changes, contact the town hall: it can remind them of the rules, arrange a mediation meeting and have the offence officially recorded.
Do the same hours apply to building contractors?
Not necessarily. Local orders often have different rules for home DIY and for professional building work, so check the rules in your town.
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