Noise Ordinances in Scranton, PA (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Scranton's noise ordinance sets a 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew on outdoor power tools, model vehicles and loading noise in residential areas, and a separate 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. weekday curfew (8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Sundays and holidays) on construction. City Code Ch. 317 caps each violation at $600.
Scranton's 10 PM to 7 AM Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(7)(a)
(7) Domestic power tools. (a) Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered mower, saw, drill, sander, grinder, lawn or garden tool, snowblower or similar device used outdoors in residential areas so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential property boundary between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day.
Construction Hours
Scranton limits construction, drilling and demolition noise to daytime hours: work disturbing a residential property line is barred from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. Outside those hours, noise is still capped at 85 dB(A) at the property line unless a variance is obtained.
Scranton Construction Noise Hours Ordinance
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(13)
Construction. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling or demolition work: (a) Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day on weekdays and Saturdays or between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and holidays, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property line, exc...
Barking Dogs
Scranton's noise ordinance treats a barking, baying or squawking animal as a noise disturbance if it makes continuous noise for 10 minutes or intermittent noise for a half hour or more, disturbing anyone at any hour. The rule applies regardless of where the animal is kept and does not cover noise caused by a trespasser provoking it.
Scranton Barking Dog Noise Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(15)
Animals and birds. Owning or possessing, harboring or controlling any animal or bird that barks, bays, cries, squawks or makes any other noise continuously and/or incessantly for a period of ten minutes or makes such noise intermittently for 1/2 hour or more to the disturbance of any person any time of the day or night regardless of whether the animal or bird is physically situated in or upon p...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
City Code § 317-7A(1) bars operating a radio, stereo, phonograph, sound amplifier or similar device so loudly it creates a noise disturbance across a property line, in a vehicle on a public street, or audible 40 feet away in any public area. Loudspeakers and PA systems are separately capped under § 317-7A(4).
Scranton's Amplified Sound and Stereo Limits
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(1)
(1) Radios, television sets and similar devices. Operating or permitting the use or operation of any radio set, musical instrument, television, phonograph, sound amplifier, automobile radio, automobile stereo, high-fidelity equipment, portable stereo or other device, including but not limited to devices utilizing digital technology, for the production or reproduction of sound: (a) At any time o...
Aircraft Noise
Scranton doesn't regulate aircraft flight noise, which is federal airspace, but City Code § 317-7A(5) bars repairing, rebuilding or testing an aircraft (or a motor vehicle, motorcycle or motorboat) in a way that causes a noise disturbance across a residential property line. The Bureau of Police enforces it.
Scranton's Aircraft Repair Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(5)
(5) Vehicle, motorboat or aircraft repairs and testing. Repairing, rebuilding or testing any motor vehicle, motorcycle, motorboat or aircraft in such a manner as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary.
Decibel Limits
City Code § 317-8 caps sound at a residential lot line at 69 dB(A) by day and 64 dB(A) overnight and on major holidays, 78 dB(A) in an I-G or I-L industrial district at any hour, and 70 dB(A) at any other lot line, measured 10 feet inside the receiving property.
Scranton's Zoned Decibel Limits for Noise
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-8
No land use or its operations shall generate a sound level exceeding the limits established in the table below, when measured at the specified locations: Land Use or Zoning District Receiving the Noise / Hours/Days / Maximum Sound Level / 10 feet inside a lot in a residential district / ... 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. other than Sundays, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Fourth of Jul...
Vehicle Noise
City Code § 317-7A(9) requires every motor vehicle to run a working muffler, without a cutout or bypass, and bars exceeding the sound levels set by state PennDOT regulation 67 Pa. Code § 157.11 on a public right-of-way. Idling within 250 feet of a home longer than 15 minutes is also barred.
Scranton's Muffler and Vehicle Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 317-7A(9)(a),(b)
(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. (b) Maximum permissible motor vehicle sound-pressure levels on public rights-of-way. No person shall ope...