Noise Ordinances in Scranton, PA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Scranton or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Scranton has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Construction Hours

Scranton City Code Section 317-7(A)(13) bars operation of construction, drilling or demolition tools or equipment that creates a noise disturbance across a residential property line between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. Outside those windows, construction sound at the property line cannot exceed 85 dB(A) without a variance. Public-safety emergency work is exempt.

Key details: Code Section: Chapter 317-7(A)(13). Weekday/Saturday Ban: 10:00 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.. Sunday/Holiday Ban: 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 a.m.. Daytime dB(A) Cap: 85 dB(A) at property line. Variance Authority: Zoning Enforcement Officer (Noise Control Officer).

Section 317-11 first conviction $0-$600, up to 30 days, or both. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. The Bureau of Police issues citations; in lieu of a citation, Section 317-10(A) allows enforcement personnel to issue an order requiring abatement within a reasonable period not exceeding 30 days where the violator is acting in good faith to comply.

Barking Dogs

Scranton regulates barking dogs through two parallel chapters of the City Code. Chapter 317-7(A)(15) (Noise) creates a bright-line test: any animal or bird that barks, bays, cries, squawks or makes other noise continuously for 10 minutes - or intermittently for 30 minutes or more - to the disturbance of any person, at any time of day or night, is a violation. Chapter 169 (Animals) supplies a separate frequent-howling-or-barking offense with first-offense warning, then citation.

Key details: Noise Bright Line: 10 min continuous OR 30 min intermittent. Noise Code Section: Chapter 317-7(A)(15). Animal Code Section: Chapter 169 (Animals). Time of Day: Day or night. Chapter 169 Max Fine: $100 (first offense gets warning).

Chapter 317 (noise) violations are punished under Section 317-11: up to $600 fine, up to 30 days imprisonment, or both, with each day a separate offense. Chapter 169 (animals) has its own penalty: an owner whose dog violates the chapter pays a fine of not more than $100, or in default of payment serves up to 24 hours imprisonment. The first Chapter 169 contact is a written warning before a citation can issue. A parallel disorderly-conduct charge under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 5503 is also available.

Leaf Blower Rules

Scranton City Code Section 317-7(A)(7) makes it a noise disturbance to operate any mechanically powered mower, saw, drill, sander, grinder, lawn or garden tool, snowblower or similar device outdoors in residential areas so as to cause a disturbance across a residential property boundary between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Snowblowers are exempt during declared snow emergencies, when 1+ inch is forecast, or in cases of personal emergency. There is no gas-blower ban or seasonal restriction.

Key details: Banned Hours (Residential): 10:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.. Code Section: Chapter 317-7(A)(7). Equipment Covered: Mowers, blowers, saws, drills, sanders, grinders, snowblowers. Gas-Blower Ban: None. Snowblower Exception: Snow emergency, 1+ inch forecast, personal emergency.

Section 317-11 first conviction up to $600, up to 30 days imprisonment, or both. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Section 317-7(C) prima facie rule applies: complaints from two or more residents in separate residences are prima facie evidence of a disturbance. Commercial landscapers operating before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. in residential zones are the most common citation target.

Amplified Music & Events

Amplified sound in Scranton is regulated by Chapter 317 across five overlapping prongs: Section 317-7(A)(1) (radios/sound devices audible 40 feet in a public area or across any property line), 317-7(A)(4) (loudspeakers/PA systems crossing a property line), 317-7(A)(10) (outdoor concerts and block parties capped at 85 dB(A) without a variance), 317-7(A)(14) (places of public entertainment capped at 90 dB(A) unless a hearing-impairment warning sign is posted), and the Section 317-8 receiving-district table.

Key details: Audible Distance Test: 40 feet in any public area (Section 317-7(A)(1)(d)). Outdoor Concert/Block Party Cap: 85 dB(A) without variance. Entertainment Venue Cap: 90 dB(A) unless warning sign posted. Street Sales Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. only. Constitutional Exemption: Noncommercial speech/assembly (Reed v Gilbert).

Section 317-11: up to $600 per violation, up to 30 days, or both; each day a separate offense. Section 317-10(A) allows enforcement personnel to issue an abatement order with up to 30 days to comply in lieu of immediate citation where the violator acts in good faith. Disorderly conduct under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 5503 is a summary offense (up to $300 and 90 days) or a third-degree misdemeanor (up to $2,500 and 1 year) if the actor persists after a warning.

Aircraft Noise

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (KAVP / AVP) sits about 7 miles southwest of downtown Scranton in Avoca (Pittston Township, Luzerne County) and is jointly owned by Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties through the Bi-County Airport Authority. Federal law preempts municipal regulation of aircraft in flight under 49 U.S.C. Section 40103 and City of Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal, 411 U.S. 624 (1973). Scranton Chapter 317 cannot be applied to pilots.

Key details: Airport: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International (KAVP / AVP). Location: Avoca / Pittston Twp, Luzerne County (~7 mi SW of Scranton). Operator: Bi-County Airport Authority (Luzerne + Lackawanna). Primary Runway: 4-22 (7,502 x 150 ft grooved asphalt). Federal Framework: 49 U.S.C. Section 40103; 14 CFR Part 150.

There is no local penalty for aircraft-in-flight noise. Federal violations of 14 CFR Section 91.119 (minimum safe altitudes) and other Federal Aviation Regulations are enforced by the FAA against the pilot or operator - certificate suspension and civil penalty (49 U.S.C. Section 46301; up to $37,377 per violation as adjusted). Ground-based aircraft maintenance run-ups that cross a residential property line in Scranton remain reachable under Section 317-7(A)(5) of the City Code (up to $600 per offense under Section 317-11).

Scranton is more permissive than most cities when it comes to aircraft noise. That said, there are still limits.

Vehicle Noise

Vehicle noise in Scranton is regulated through Chapter 317-7(A)(9) of the City Code plus 75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523 (PA Vehicle Code - exhaust systems, mufflers and noise control) and 67 Pa. Code Section 157.11 (PennDOT vehicle sound-level regulations). Scranton bans modified exhausts and cutouts, caps stationary vehicle/auxiliary operation near residences at 15 minutes per hour within 250 feet, requires car alarms to terminate within 6 minutes, and bars unnecessary horn use.

Key details: Local Code Section: Chapter 317-7(A)(9). Standing Vehicle/Idling Limit: 15 min/hour within 250 ft of residence. Auto Alarm Cutoff: 6 minutes (Section 317-7(A)(3)(c)). State Muffler Statute: 75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523. State Vehicle Sound Regs: 67 Pa. Code Section 157.11.

Section 317-11 first conviction up to $600, up to 30 days, or both; each day a separate offense. 75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523 violations are summary offenses under the PA Vehicle Code, with fines typically $25-$300 plus surcharges and court costs (75 Pa.C.S. Section 6502). A defective muffler causes failure of the Pennsylvania annual safety inspection (67 Pa. Code Section 175.75).

Industrial Noise

Industrial property in Scranton sits at a 78 dB(A) property-line cap at all times under Section 317-8 - 14 dB(A) higher than the nighttime residential receiving cap of 64 dB(A). Where a residential lot adjoins an I-G or I-L industrial district, Section 317-6 limits the residential receiver to 65 dB(A) at 10 feet inside the property line (75 dB(A) if a compliant masonry-and-evergreen sound barrier has been built).

Key details: Industrial Limit (I-G/I-L): 78 dB(A) at industrial lot line, all times. Other Non-Residential: 70 dB(A) at all times. Residential Adjoining Industrial: 65 dB(A) (75 dB(A) with sound barrier). Sound Barrier Spec: Decorative masonry + evergreens spaced under 10 ft. Vibration Standard: Perception threshold at property line.

Section 317-11: up to $600 per violation, up to 30 days imprisonment, or both; each day a separate offense. Section 317-10(A) allows the Bureau of Police to issue an abatement order (up to 30 days to comply) instead of a citation where the violator acts in good faith. Zoning enforcement under Chapter 445 (Zoning) and Chapter 203 (Contractors, Permits and Inspections) provides separate stop-work and revocation tools. Private nuisance: damages plus injunctive relief in Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas.

Quiet Hours

The City of Scranton sets numeric quiet-hour limits at Chapter 317-8 of the City Code. In residential districts, no operation may generate more than 69 dB(A) measured 10 feet inside the receiving lot between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, or more than 64 dB(A) between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and all day on Sundays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, July 4th, Labor Day and Memorial Day.

Key details: Code Section: City Code Chapter 317-8. Residential Day Limit: 69 dB(A) 7 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays. Residential Night/Holiday Limit: 64 dB(A) 9 p.m.-7 a.m. + Sundays/holidays. Industrial (I-G/I-L) Limit: 78 dB(A) at all times. Other Lots Limit: 70 dB(A) at all times.

Section 317-11 sets a flat schedule: each violation is a fine of up to $600, or imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. Every day a violation continues is a separate offense. Equitable remedies (injunction in Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas) remain available in addition to criminal prosecution. A parallel charge under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 5503 (Pennsylvania disorderly conduct) is available where the conduct rises to public alarm or annoyance with intent or recklessness.

The Bottom Line

Scranton'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 Scranton is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Scranton's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.