Bethlehem, PA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Bethlehem, PA, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Audibility limit
- 40 feet from the sound device
- Covered devices
- Radios, stereos, boom boxes, CD players
- Exempt venues
- Licensed events, religious bells, emergencies
- First offense fine
- $50 to $100
- Third+ offense
- $500+ fine or 30 days jail
- Enacted
- Ordinance 3946 (1999), amended 2006
Summary
Bethlehem caps amplified and reproduced sound at a 40-foot audibility radius. Section 717.01(a)(1) bars operating a radio, stereo, boom box, CD player, or any other sound reproduction device anywhere in the City at a volume audible more than forty feet from the device.
(a) The making of unnecessary noise, while residing or occupying or present in or around a dwelling, building or other structure in the City by a person, animal, musical instrument, amplifying systems or otherwise, is declared to be a public nuisance. Prohibited conduct shall include, but not be limited to the following: (1) No person shall operate or allow to be operated a radio, stereo, boom box, tape and/or CD player or any other type of sound reproduction device in any area within the City at a sound level which is audible at a distance of greater than forty (40) feet from the location of any such sound reproduction device.
Full Breakdown
01(a) declares unnecessary noise from a person, animal, musical instrument, or amplifying system a public nuisance. Subsection (a)(1) sets the operative test for amplified and reproduced sound: no radio, stereo, boom box, tape or CD player, or other sound reproduction device may run anywhere in the City at a level audible more than forty feet from where it sits, regardless of location or time of day. Several categories are carved out under subsection (b): police, fire, and ambulance vehicles, devices, or buildings; municipal and utility-service vehicles and equipment; bells or chimes at places of religious worship; public-address systems, bull horns, and musical instruments used at political or labor rallies, athletic events, or other City-licensed or permitted events; sound raised to alert people to an emergency; and, since a 2014 amendment (Ordinance 2014-28), entertainment offered between noon and midnight at outdoor venues in the Industrial Redevelopment District and the Industrial Redevelopment-Residential District.
Outside those carve-outs, the forty-foot rule applies to any amplified music or sound equipment, from a backyard party stereo to a storefront speaker aimed at the sidewalk. The provision was adopted by Ordinance 3946 in 1999 and amended by Ordinance 4400 in 2006.
Violations & Fines
Amplified sound audible beyond forty feet is a Section 717.01 nuisance violation, punished under Section 717.99: a fine of $50.00 to $100.00 for a first offense, $100.00 to $300.00 for a second, and at least $500.00 or up to thirty days in jail for a third or later offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can I play music outside in Bethlehem?
Are there time-of-day exceptions for amplified sound?
What is the fine for violating Bethlehem's noise limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bethlehem
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