Scranton, PA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 317-7A(3)(c)
- Auto shutoff required
- Within 6 minutes
- Testing window
- 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., ≤60 sec
- Full-system test cap
- Once a month, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Max fine
- $600 per violation
- Enforcement
- Bureau of Police
Summary
City Code § 317-7A(3)(c) makes it a noise disturbance to sound, or let sound, any exterior burglar alarm or motor vehicle burglar alarm unless it shuts off automatically within six minutes. The Bureau of Police enforces the cutoff as part of Chapter 317, Noise.
(c) Sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar alarm or any motor vehicle burglar alarm unless such alarm is automatically terminated within six minutes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4719898; v25 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
Section 317-7A(3), Emergency signaling devices, treats an alarm that runs too long as one of the chapter's specifically declared noise disturbances. Subsection (c) bars 'sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar alarm or any motor vehicle burglar alarm unless such alarm is automatically terminated within six minutes,' which covers a car alarm going off in a driveway or on a public street as squarely as a building alarm. m. A car alarm that keeps sounding past the six-minute mark, or one triggered repeatedly without cause, also feeds the chapter's separate 'noise disturbance' definition in § 317-2B, which covers any sound that disrupts a resident's repose or peace, and two neighbors in separate homes who agree on the timing establish prima facie evidence of the violation under § 317-7C.
Violations & Fines
A car alarm that runs longer than six minutes violates § 317-7A(3)(c) and, like any Chapter 317 offense, is punishable under § 317-11A by a fine of not more than $600 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days, or both, with every day the violation continues a separate offense. The Bureau of Police may instead issue an abatement order under § 317-10A.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car alarm legally sound in Scranton before it's a violation?
Can my neighbor test their car or house alarm whenever they want in Scranton?
Who do I call about a car alarm that won't stop in Scranton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scranton
Compare Scranton to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise from specific sources overview
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