Noise Ordinances in Erie, PA (2026)
8 verified noise ordinances for Erie, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Erie sets no fixed numeric quiet hours. Instead, Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct) of the Codified Ordinances makes it disorderly conduct to shout or make noise during the nighttime to the annoyance or disturbance of others, and more generally to disturb the good order and quiet of the City by clamor or noise.
Nighttime Noise Prohibited Under Disorderly Conduct
Some RestrictionsCodified Ordinances of the City of Erie, PA, Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct), Sections 705.01 and 705.02(d)
It shall constitute the offense of disorderly conduct for any person to disturb the good order and quiet of the City by clamor or noise. It is also disorderly conduct to shout or make a noise either outside or inside a building during the nighttime to the annoyance or disturbance of any number of persons.
Construction Hours
No Erie-specific ordinance directly addresses construction hours; the City's Codified Ordinances do not set start/stop times for construction noise. Daytime construction noise is governed by the general disorderly conduct standard (Article 705), and nighttime construction noise can be cited under Section 705.02(d).
No Erie-Specific Construction Hours; Nighttime Rule Applies
Few RestrictionsCodified Ordinances of the City of Erie, PA, Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct), Section 705.02(d)
It shall constitute disorderly conduct to shout or make a noise either outside or inside a building during the nighttime to the annoyance or disturbance of any number of persons.
Barking Dogs
Erie has no decibel-based barking-dog ordinance with fixed time thresholds; persistent animal noise that disturbs the good order and quiet of the City is addressed under the general clamor-or-noise standard of Article 705. Pennsylvania's Dog Law (3 P.S. Section 459-101 et seq.) governs licensing and dangerous-dog matters statewide.
Barking Dogs Handled as Noise/Disorderly Conduct
Some RestrictionsCodified Ordinances of the City of Erie, PA, Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct), Section 705.01
It shall constitute the offense of disorderly conduct for any person to disturb the good order and quiet of the City by clamor or noise to the annoyance of any of its residents.
Leaf Blower Rules
The City of Erie has not adopted a dedicated leaf-blower ordinance and there is no seasonal ban, decibel cap, or time-of-day restriction targeting blowers specifically. Leaf-blower noise is reachable only through the general Article 705 disorderly-conduct provisions and Article 732 (Quiet Zones) for hospital-adjacent properties.
Erie Leaf Blower and Lawn Equipment Rules
Few RestrictionsAmplified Music & Events
Article 705 of Erie's Codified Ordinances makes it disorderly conduct to operate any radio, television, phonograph, sound amplifier, musical instrument or similar device at a sound intensity audible 50 feet away in any public area, street or sidewalk, or in a manner that creates a noise disturbance across a real property boundary.
Amplified Sound Audible 50 Feet in Public Areas Banned
Some RestrictionsCodified Ordinances of the City of Erie, PA, Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct)
Operating any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device which produces, reproduces or amplifies sound at a sound intensity that the sound is audible from a distance of 50 feet in any public area, street or sidewalk is prohibited, as is operating such a device at any time of day so as to create a noise disturbance across a real property boundary.
Aircraft Noise
No Erie-specific ordinance directly addresses aircraft noise; the topic is preempted. Aircraft operations and in-flight noise are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration under federal law, and Pennsylvania regulates airport operation and aircraft under the Aviation Code (74 Pa.C.S. Chapter 51 et seq.). Erie International Airport noise is managed at the airport-proprietor level, not by city ordinance.
Aircraft Noise Preempted by Federal and PA State Law
Few RestrictionsPennsylvania Aviation Code, 74 Pa.C.S. Section 5301 (Powers and duties of department)
The department shall promulgate and enforce such regulations as it deems necessary to carry out the powers vested in it under this part, including the licensing, rating and regulation of airports and the operation of aircraft within the Commonwealth.
Industrial Noise
The City of Erie has no industrial-noise chapter with property-line decibel limits. Industrial and commercial sound is regulated indirectly through Article 705 (Disorderly Conduct), Article 732 (Quiet Zones near hospitals), and the city zoning ordinance, which separates manufacturing districts from residential ones. PA DEP does not regulate ambient industrial noise.
Erie Industrial and Commercial Noise
Few RestrictionsVehicle Noise
Erie's Article 736 (Recreational Motor Vehicles) bars muffler cutouts, bypasses and straight pipes and requires standard mufflers in constant operation to keep noise to a minimum. On-highway vehicles are also governed by the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523, which requires an effective muffler and bans modifications that amplify exhaust noise.
Vehicle and Recreational Motor Vehicle Noise Restricted
Some Restrictions75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523 (Exhaust systems, mufflers and noise control), subsections (b)-(d)
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. No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of the vehicle above the...