Pennsylvania's Diesel-Powered Motor Vehicle Idling Act (Act 124 of 2008) caps heavy-duty diesel idling at five minutes per hour statewide. Philadelphia Code 10-602 layers a city anti-idling rule on all motor vehicles, with stricter enforcement near schools and hospitals.
Act 124 of 2008 (35 P.S. sections 4601-4613) limits diesel vehicles over 10,001 pounds to five minutes of idling in any continuous 60-minute period. Exemptions cover queuing in traffic, sub-40-degree weather sleeper-berth heat, emergency response, and active loading. Philadelphia Code 10-602 supplements with a city-wide three-minute limit for any motor vehicle (extended to five minutes when ambient temperature is under 40 degrees), enforced by the Air Management Services unit of the Department of Public Health. Schools and hospitals are priority enforcement zones. Drivers must shut engines when parked, even with passengers aboard. Both laws apply on private property accessible to the public.
Idling beyond the limit violates Act 124 and Philadelphia Code 10-602, drawing fines of 150 to 300 dollars per first offense and up to 1,000 dollars for repeat offenses, with separate citations for each idling event observed.
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See how Philadelphia's vehicle idling restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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