Scranton, PA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Section 445-36.E(7), WCF noise
- Generator use
- Barred except emergencies or scheduled maintenance
- Underlying noise cap
- District limit set by Section 445-24
- Right-of-way version
- Section 349-11.K for small cell facilities
- General noise fine
- Up to $600 or 30 days under Chapter 317
Summary
Scranton's code does not regulate home standby generators directly, but it does address generator noise at cell towers and other wireless facilities. Section 445-36.E(7) generally bars running a backup generator at a wireless communication facility, permitting it only during emergencies or scheduled maintenance and testing, when the facility's normal noise limit under Section 445-24 can be exceeded temporarily.
Noise. All WCFs shall be operated and maintained so as not to produce noise in excess of applicable noise standards established in § 445-24 of this chapter. The use of a backup generator is prohibited except that in emergency situations and for periodic maintenance and testing by the wireless communications provider's technicians, such use shall be permitted, where such noise standards may be exceeded on a temporary basis.
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
City Code Section 445-36 sets performance standards for wireless communication facilities (WCFs), the towers and antenna arrays that carry cell service across Scranton. Subsection E(7) folds a specific generator rule into that framework: a WCF must otherwise operate within the noise limits set for its zoning district under Section 445-24, and the operator may not run a backup generator at the site at all except in an emergency or for periodic maintenance and testing by the wireless carrier's own technicians. Even then the exception is temporary: the ordinance allows the district's noise standard to be exceeded 'on a temporary basis' only, not as a routine operating condition.
K for small WCFs installed in streets and sidewalks, which ties the noise ceiling to 'applicable noise standards under state law and Chapter 317 of the City Code' and allows the generator exception only 'to maintain functionality of the communications network,' with any excess noise permitted by the City rather than automatic. A(7), covers mowers, saws, and similar outdoor equipment but not stationary generators. A, no noise crossing a property boundary that disrupts a neighbor's peace, and the receiving-district decibel table in Section 317-8, not by a dedicated generator provision. The dedicated, name-checked generator rule in the Code applies specifically to wireless facility equipment.
Violations & Fines
Running a WCF backup generator outside the emergency or maintenance exception, or letting facility noise exceed the Section 445-24 district limit outside that window, is a zoning violation subject to the enforcement notice and penalty process in Section 445-77, including a civil judgment of up to $500 per day plus court costs. A homeowner's generator that crosses a property line and disturbs a neighbor can instead draw a Bureau of Police citation under Chapter 317, punishable by up to a $600 fine or 30 days imprisonment per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Scranton limit noise from home backup generators?
What does Scranton's generator rule for cell towers say?
Who enforces generator noise complaints 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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