Reading, PA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Aircraft noise
- Exempt from § 600-917 sound table
- Repair/testing noise
- Still barred if it disturbs neighbors
- Enforcement
- Reading Police Department
- Fine range
- $100 to $1,000 plus costs
Summary
Reading's zoning noise-control section exempts aircraft, including helicopters, lawfully operating from the city's maximum sound-level table, leaving overflight noise to the FAA and only the separate noise chapter for other sources.
The maximum permissible sound level limits set forth in the above table shall not apply to any of the following noise sources: ... (8) Vehicles lawfully operating on a public street, railroads and aircraft. (9) Matters that are regulated by Chapter 387, Noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-8: Current through August 10, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 600's noise-control section caps sound levels at residential lot lines but expressly exempts vehicles lawfully operating on a public street, railroads, and aircraft from those limits, and defers other noise matters to Chapter 387, Noise. Chapter 387's own list of prohibited acts reaches only ground noise from repairing, rebuilding, or testing an aircraft or motor vehicle, not overflight noise, which federal law reserves to the FAA. A helicopter operating lawfully over Reading, or landing at an approved site, therefore faces no city decibel limit.
Violations & Fines
No local penalty applies to helicopter or aircraft overflight noise itself. Only ground-based aircraft repair, rebuilding, or testing that creates a noise disturbance across a residential property line can draw a Chapter 387 citation, fined $100 to $1,000 plus costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a helicopter fly over my Reading home at any hour?
Does Chapter 387 cover helicopter noise complaints?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview
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