Upper Darby, PA Environmental Rules: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (2026)

Township Code § 373-6M(1) reaches idling engines as a noise-source problem rather than an air-quality one: it prohibits "operating or permitting the operation of a commercial motor vehicle engaged in the process of loading or unloading (or standing or parked in anticipation thereof or following the same) and allowing the engine of the motor vehicle to idle or otherwise run unnecessarily when vehicle is standing motionless," and it applies "even though the noise generated may measure less than provided by § 373-8 Table II" -- meaning a truck can still be cited for unnecessary idling even if it doesn't exceed the chapter's numeric sound limits.

The rule carves out one exception: it does not apply to "a motor vehicle which uses its engine as the main source of power for adjunct refrigeration equipment designed for the preservation of food products being delivered," protecting reefer trucks making grocery or restaurant deliveries. The provision sits inside Chapter 373, Noise, and is enforced the same way as the rest of that chapter: § 373-2 gives authority to the Police Department, the Health Officer, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections, and § 373-3 allows a written correction notice with a stated abatement period before a summons and complaint is issued for a stationary source.

There is no separate general anti-idling ordinance in the code outside this loading/unloading context; it does not restrict idling by a parked personal vehicle unconnected to loading operations.