Scranton, PA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

LL sets the special-exception criteria a nightclub must satisfy under Scranton's zoning code. , a closing window that applies regardless of a state liquor license's own hours. Second, the noise standard is comparative rather than a fixed decibel number: there must be no noise or vibration discernible along any property line greater than the average noise level already occurring on adjacent streets and properties, so the test looks at the ambient street noise next to the venue rather than a chapter-wide dB(A) ceiling like the one in Chapter 317.

Third, all operations must run inside a completely enclosed building, and doors and windows must stay closed whenever entertainment is being presented, which targets the amplified music and crowd noise that a nightclub's open doors would otherwise send into the street. Fourth, staffing scales with occupancy: once the maximum permitted occupancy allowed by the City's building or Fire Code passes 100 persons, the operator must provide private security licensed under Pennsylvania law. Fifth, distance scales with occupancy too: a nightclub approved for 200 or more persons must sit at least 500 feet from any property line adjoining a residential zoning classification, on top of whatever base distance the district's own dimensional table sets.

Because these are special exception criteria under Section 445-41, a new nightclub also has to clear the general special exception process in Section 445-40, including the Zoning Hearing Board's neighborhood-impact findings, before the hours and noise rules ever come into play.