Lower Paxton, PA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Night club closed hours
- 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., § 203-620(A)(1)
- Tavern or bar closed hours
- 2:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., § 203-739(A)(1)
- Night club doors and windows
- Closed while open, activities inside an enclosed building
- Residential lot line limit, residential district
- 60 dBA day, 55 dBA night
- Spacing
- Night club 500 lineal feet, tavern 600 feet from similar use
- Noise Ordinance penalty
- Fine up to $1,000 or up to 90 days
Summary
In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, a night club is a conditional use that must stay in an enclosed building with doors and windows closed while open, and entrances facing homes need a vestibule with a second door. Night operations cease from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. A tavern or bar ceases from 2:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Chapter 131 caps sound at lot lines.
A. A night club shall be a permitted conditional use subject to the following express minimum standards and criteria: (1) The night operations shall cease between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., prevailing time (unless more restrictive non-operating hours are established by the Board of Supervisors in its conditional use decision), and the establishment shall not be open to the public during those hours. (2) All night club activities shall be conducted within an enclosed building, and all doors and windows shall remain closed during the hours that the night club is open for operation. (3) The facility entrances and exits (excluding emergency exits) which face adjacent residential dwellings and/or residential zoned properties shall have a vestibule with a second door to minimize noise impacts to adjacent residential dwellings and properties. ... (5) The night club operations shall not cause or create a nuisance, including, but not limited to, excessive noise levels.
Full Breakdown
Section 203-620(A) sets the night club standards in Lower Paxton Township, and the Board of Supervisors decides the conditional use. Night operations shall cease between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., prevailing time, unless the Board sets more restrictive non-operating hours in its decision, and the establishment cannot be open to the public in that window. All night club activities shall be conducted within an enclosed building, and all doors and windows shall remain closed during the hours the night club is open. Entrances and exits facing adjacent residential dwellings or residentially zoned properties, other than emergency exits, need a vestibule with a second door to minimize noise. Paragraph (5) bars operations that cause or create a nuisance, including excessive noise levels, and paragraph (6) makes the owner and operator responsible for the conduct and safety of patrons. A night club cannot sit within 500 lineal feet of an adult-oriented business or another night club, lot line to lot line.
A tavern or bar is a special exception under § 203-739. Operations shall cease between 2:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. prevailing time, the establishment cannot sit closer than 600 feet to another similar existing use except in the TC Zone, and nuisances such as excessive noise levels shall not be created. The Township can attach reasonable conditions it deems necessary to ensure compliance.
Chapter 131, the Lower Paxton Township Noise Ordinance, sets numbers. At a lot line of a residential use in a residential district, the limit is 60 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. other than Sundays and listed holidays, and 55 dBA from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. plus Sundays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Easter Sunday, Labor Day and Memorial Day. At a principal residential use in a commercial or industrial district, the limits are 65 dBA by day and 60 dBA at night. Any other lot line is 70 dBA at all times. Unamplified human voices are exempt under § 131-2(B)(6).
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 131 is a summary offense heard before a Magisterial District Judge, punishable under § 131-3 by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days. Each day, and each section violated, is a separate offense. Breaking zoning conditions adds a civil judgment under § 203-1205(E)(1) of not more than $500 plus court costs and attorney's fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must a night club close in Lower Paxton Township?
Do night clubs have to keep doors and windows shut?
What is the sound limit at a home next to a bar?
What are the closing hours for a tavern or bar?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lower Paxton
Compare Lower Paxton to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise from specific sources overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.