How Pottstown Handles Noise Ordinances: A Practical Guide
Pottstown maintains 107 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with noise ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Pottstown falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Pottstown bars radios, stereos, musical instruments and sound amplifiers from creating a noise disturbance or carrying more than 25 feet from a motor vehicle or hand-carried speaker. Section 803, Subsection 2.E of the Noise Control Ordinance sets the standard, and it applies at any hour, not just at night.
Key details: Audibility limit: 25 feet from vehicle or hand-carried device. Covers: Radios, stereos, instruments, amplifiers. Hours covered: Any time, day or night. Maximum fine: $1,000 plus costs of prosecution. Downtown exemption: Extended hours for permitted businesses.
A summary conviction under Section 805, Subsection 2 carries a fine up to $1,000 plus court costs, with up to 30 days in the county jail if the fine and costs go unpaid. Each day a device keeps generating a noise disturbance beyond the time set in an abatement order is charged as a separate offense, so repeated complaints can produce several citations.
Quiet Hours
Pottstown's noise ordinance bars machinery, equipment and hand tools from running loud enough to carry beyond the property line between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., pushed back to 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and national holidays. Section 803 of the Borough's 2009 Noise Control Ordinance sets this curfew alongside a broader ban on disturbing noise.
Key details: Quiet hours: 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily. Sunday/holiday hours: 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.. Maximum fine: $1,000 plus costs of prosecution. Default jail term: Up to 30 days. Abatement window: 72 hours after written order.
A violation is a summary offense carrying a fine up to $1,000 plus court costs under Section 805, Subsection 2; unpaid fines can convert to as much as 30 days in the Montgomery County jail. Every day a violation continues past the deadline set in an abatement order counts as a separate offense, so a running nighttime nuisance can rack up multiple citations rather than a single flat fine.
Vehicle Noise
Pottstown Borough Code § 303 bars operating a motor vehicle's sound amplification system, radios, tape or CD players, or loudspeakers, so loudly that it is audible 25 feet or more from the vehicle on any street, alley, parking lot or driveway, with exceptions for emergency, Borough and approved public-event systems.
Key details: Governing section: § 303, Chapter 6 Part 3. Audibility threshold: 25 feet or more from vehicle. Covers: Streets, alleys, parking lots, driveways. Maximum fine: $600 plus costs (§ 304). Key exceptions: Emergency, Borough and approved event vehicles.
A vehicle sound system audible 25 feet or more away, outside the six listed exceptions, is punishable under § 304 with a fine of up to $600 plus costs, or up to 30 days in jail if the fine and costs go unpaid, and each day of continued violation is a separate offense.
Barking Dogs
Pottstown treats a persistently barking dog as disorderly conduct: keeping any animal in a way that disturbs the peace and quiet of the immediate neighborhood by barking or crowing is prohibited.
Key details: How it is classified: Disorderly conduct, not a standalone noise ordinance. Standard: Disturbing the peace, safety and quiet of the immediate neighborhood. No decibel test: There is no measured threshold or minimum duration. Animals covered: Dogs, other animals, chickens, other fowl and birds. Noises covered: Barking, crowing "or otherwise".
A barking or crowing animal that disturbs the peace, safety and quiet of the immediate neighborhood is declared to be disorderly conduct under section 302(A), enforceable through the Borough disorderly conduct provisions of Part 3. Because the test is disturbance of the immediate neighborhood rather than a measured sound level, enforcement turns on the effect on neighbours rather than on meter readings.
The Bottom Line
Pottstown's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Pottstown is broadly strict or permissive.
Keep in mind that Pottstown can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.