Noise Ordinances in Allentown, PA (2026)
6 verified noise ordinances for Allentown, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Allentown does not use a single blanket curfew; instead Article 710 (Chapter 400, Noise Control) sets maximum permissible dBA sound levels by receiving land use, with sharply lower limits between 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Residential zones drop to 52 dBA at night, and exceeding the table is a noise disturbance.
Quiet Hours: 10 PM-7 AM via dBA Land-Use Limits
Heavy RestrictionsAllentown City Code § 400-6A
A. Maximum permissible sound levels by receiving land use. Unless a variance is obtained pursuant to § 400-5B, no person shall operate or cause to be operated on public or private property any source of sound in such a manner as to create a sound level which exceeds the limits set forth in the receiving land use category in Table 1 when measured at or within the property boundary of the receivi...
Construction Hours
Article 710.03(E)(1) bars construction, drilling, and demolition tools between 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. on weekdays and Saturdays, and at any time on Sundays or holidays, where the noise crosses a residential property boundary. At permitted times, no source may exceed 85 dBA at the boundary without a variance.
Construction Banned 9 PM-7 AM and All Day Sunday
Heavy RestrictionsAllentown Codified Ordinances Art. 710.03(E)(1) (Construction), Ord. 13900 section 1, 4/19/2001
1. Construction. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work: a. Between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. the following day on weekdays and Saturdays or at any time on Sundays or holidays, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary, except for emergency work. b. ...
Barking Dogs
Article 710.03(C)(6) makes it a noise disturbance to own or harbor any animal or bird that barks, bays, cries, or squawks continuously for 10 minutes, or intermittently for one-half hour or more, to the disturbance of any person at any time of day or night, with a defense for trespass or provocation.
Barking Dog: 10 Min Continuous or 30 Min Intermittent
Some RestrictionsAllentown City Code § 400-3C(6)
(6) Animals and birds. Owning, possessing, harboring or controlling any animal or bird which barks, bays, cries, squawks or makes any other noise continuously and/or incessantly for a period of 10 minutes or makes such noise intermittently for 1/2 hour or more to the disturbance of any person at any time of the day or night regardless of whether the animal or bird is physically situated in or u...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Article 710.03(C)(1) makes it a noise disturbance to operate any radio, stereo, instrument, or sound amplifier at any time so as to be audible across a real property boundary, and 710.03(C)(4) bars loudspeakers and public-address systems on public rights-of-way between 10 P.M. and 7 A.M. Public-entertainment venues are capped at 90 dBA.
Amplified Sound: No Cross-Boundary Disturbance, Curfews
Heavy RestrictionsAllentown Codified Ordinances Art. 710.03(C)(1) and (C)(4) (Prohibited Acts), Ord. 14657 section 1, 11/21/2008
1. Radios, Tape Players, Television Sets, Musical Instruments, Electronic Amplification, Equipment and Similar Devices: Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, automobile radio, automobile stereo or high fidelity equipment or similar device which produces, reproduces or amplifies sound: a. At any ...
Aircraft Noise
Allentown's noise ordinance does not apply to normal aircraft and airport operations. Chapter 400, Noise, § 400-5A(4) lists aircraft and airport activity among five categories, alongside emergencies and interstate rail, that fall outside the city's decibel limits and prohibited-act rules entirely, leaving flight and airport noise to federal and state aviation regulators instead.
Allentown Exempts Aircraft From Its Noise Code
Few RestrictionsCity of Allentown Codified Ordinances § 400-5A(4)
Exceptions. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to: ... (4) Aircraft and airport operations. Normal aircraft and airport operations.
Vehicle Noise
Article 710.03(C)(12) requires every motor vehicle to have a working muffler with no cutout or bypass, bars idling longer than 15 minutes per hour within 150 feet of a residential area, restricts horn use to genuine warnings, and prohibits sound trucks across property boundaries or between 9 P.M. and 7 A.M.
Mufflers Required; Idling, Horns, Sound Trucks Limited
Some RestrictionsAllentown City Code § 400-3C(12)(a)
(a) Exhaust system. Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a muffler or other effective noise suppressing system in good working order and in constant operation and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass or similar device so as to cause a noise disturbance.
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