Noise Ordinances in Scranton, PA (2026)
8 verified noise ordinances for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
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.
Scranton Quiet Hours and Receiving-District dB(A) Limits
Some RestrictionsConstruction 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.
Scranton Construction Hours and Equipment Noise
Some RestrictionsBarking 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.
Scranton Barking-Dog Rule (10-Minute / 30-Minute Tests)
Some RestrictionsLeaf 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.
Scranton Leaf Blower and Domestic Power Tool Hours
Some RestrictionsAmplified 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.
Scranton Amplified Music, Loudspeakers, and Entertainment Venues
Some RestrictionsAircraft 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.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International (KAVP) Aircraft Noise
Few RestrictionsIndustrial 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).
Scranton Industrial and Commercial Noise
Some RestrictionsVehicle 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.