Pottstown, PA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt area
- Downtown Zoning District only
- Sun-Thu exempt hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Fri/Sat/holiday exempt hours
- 9:00 a.m. to midnight
- Covers
- Permitted or legal nonconforming uses
- Added by
- Ordinance 2185, May 13, 2019
Summary
Businesses running a permitted or pre-existing legal nonconforming use in Pottstown's Downtown Zoning District are exempt from the Borough's noise rules from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and to midnight on Friday, Saturday and holidays, under Section 804, Subsection N.
N. The provisions of this Part shall not apply to noise generated by a permitted use or a pre-existing, legal, nonconforming use in the Downtown Zoning District between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on Friday, Saturday, and on federally recognized holidays, and the day before federally recognized holidays.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5012545; v22 updated 2026-07-13; through 07-13-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 804, Subsection N of the Pottstown Borough Noise Control Ordinance, added by Ordinance 2185 in May 2019, carves out the Downtown Zoning District from the Part's general noise rules for part of the day. m. to 12:00 midnight on Friday, Saturday, federally recognized holidays and the day before a federally recognized holiday. equipment cutoff, the 25-foot amplified-sound test and the rest) start to apply to its noise. 1 ban on noise that causes physical discomfort to neighbors. The exemption is tied to the Zoning Ordinance's Downtown Zoning District boundary and to uses that are permitted or lawfully nonconforming there; a use that is not permitted in the district, or that has lost its nonconforming status, does not qualify.
Violations & Fines
Noise from a Downtown business outside the exempt hours, or from a use not covered by the exemption, is enforced the same as any other Part 8 violation: a Section 805 abatement order followed by a summary citation carrying up to a $1,000 fine plus costs, and up to 30 days in jail if unpaid, with each day of continued noise a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do downtown bars in Pottstown have different noise hours?
Does the downtown exemption apply everywhere in the Borough?
What happens after the exempt hours end?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pottstown
Compare Pottstown to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise from specific sources overview
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