Noise Ordinances in Reading, PA (2026)
8 verified noise ordinances for Reading, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Reading's noise ordinance (Codified Ordinances Chapter 387) sets nighttime quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every day. During those hours, sound that is plainly audible across a property line — or audible on a public street 50 feet from the source — is a violation. The same 50-foot/across-property-line standard applies at any hour as a 'noise disturbance.'
Reading Quiet Hours: 10 PM to 7 AM Citywide (Chapter 387)
Some RestrictionsConstruction Hours
Reading restricts construction and demolition noise to 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No construction operations that cause a noise disturbance across a residential property line are permitted on Sundays or legal holidays at any hour. Emergency work is exempt. The rule is at § 387-104(C) of the Codified Ordinances.
Reading Construction Noise Hours: 7 AM-10 PM Weekdays and Saturdays Only
Some RestrictionsBarking Dogs
Reading's noise code targets barking dogs with a bright-line test: any animal that barks, howls, meows, squawks, or makes other sounds continuously for 10 minutes — or intermittently for 30 minutes or more — is a noise disturbance at any hour, day or night. The rule appears at § 387-104(F) of Chapter 387 and applies on private property.
Reading Barking Dog Rule: 10 Minutes Continuous or 30 Minutes Intermittent
Some RestrictionsLeaf Blower Rules
Reading has not adopted a leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Gas and electric blowers are regulated under § 387-104(D) of the noise code, which prohibits outdoor residential use of mechanically powered lawn and garden tools between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the sound disturbs across a property line. Daytime use is allowed subject to the general 'noise disturbance' standard.
Reading Leaf Blowers: No Standalone Ban, Subject to Power-Tool Rules
Few RestrictionsAmplified Music & Events
Amplified music, loudspeakers, radios, drums, and similar sound devices are governed by § 387-104(A) of Reading's noise code. They may not create a 'noise disturbance' across a property line at any time, and they may not be 'plainly audible' across a property line between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The 50-foot public-street audibility rule also applies. Permitted parades and events are exempt.
Reading Amplified Music: Plainly Audible 50 Feet or Across Property Line
Some RestrictionsAircraft Noise
Reading cannot regulate aircraft-in-flight noise. Federal law — 49 U.S.C. § 40103 and the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 (49 U.S.C. §§ 47521-47534) — preempts municipal aircraft noise rules. Reading Regional Airport (RDG, owned by the Reading Regional Airport Authority) follows FAA Part 150 noise compatibility planning. No mandatory curfew is in place. Complaints route to RDG operations and the FAA.
Reading Aircraft Noise: Federally Preempted, FAA Controls RDG Operations
Few RestrictionsIndustrial Noise
Reading does not adopt industry-specific decibel caps. Industrial and commercial sources fall under the general 'noise disturbance' standard of § 387-103 (audible 50 feet on a public street, or disturbing across a property line). Pennsylvania DEP regulates stationary-source air emissions and some operational standards under 25 Pa. Code Article III, but no state decibel limit exists for stationary sources outside vehicles.
Reading Industrial Noise: General Disturbance Rule Plus PA DEP Air Quality
Some RestrictionsVehicle Noise
Reading's § 387-105 incorporates Pennsylvania state vehicle noise standards (67 Pa. Code Ch. 157) by reference and adds local rules. Removing or disabling a muffler is prohibited (§ 387-104(I)), as is unnecessary horn blowing, idling a stationary vehicle over 15 minutes within 150 feet of a residence, and excessive sound-truck operation. Pennsylvania's underlying muffler statute is 75 Pa.C.S. § 4523.
Reading Vehicle Noise: State Sound Limits + No Tampered Mufflers
Some RestrictionsLooking for Berks County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Reading city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Berks County →