Philadelphia Code section 10-403 limits construction-equipment noise to seventy-five A-weighted decibels measured at any property line during permitted work hours. Equipment must carry factory mufflers, idle limits apply, and after-hours waivers require Air Management Services approval before work begins.
Title 10, Chapter 10-400 of the Philadelphia Code (Air Pollution and Noise Control) caps construction noise at the receiving property line. Section 10-403(2)(a) sets a seventy-five dBA daytime limit at residential lot lines, with no construction-equipment operation between 9 PM and 7 AM weekdays or 8 AM Saturdays without an Air Management Services waiver under section 10-403(3). Backup alarms must comply with OSHA 29 CFR 1926.602 but may not exceed background noise plus ten dBA. Equipment must use original manufacturer mufflers, and idling beyond three minutes violates section 10-602. The Department of Public Health's Air Management Services enforces complaints, often coordinated with Licenses and Inspections stop-work powers under Philadelphia Building Code section A-1004.
Violations carry civil penalties up to three hundred dollars first offense and six hundred dollars repeat under section 10-410, plus stop-work orders shutting down the project until contractor abatement and re-inspection by Air Management Services.
Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA
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