Abington, PA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Section 106-3 of Chapter 106, Noise, lists prohibited acts that create excessive or unreasonable sound, and subsection H addresses construction activity specifically by restricting it to fixed hours rather than judging it by decibel level or complaint. The subsection prohibits the erection, including excavation, demolition, alteration, construction or repair, of any building other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., except for emergency work as defined in § 106-2. Section 106-2 defines emergency work as work made necessary to restore property to a safe condition following a public calamity, or work required to protect persons or property from imminent exposure to danger, a narrow carve-out that does not cover routine overtime or a contractor's scheduling preference.

Because the rule is stated as a flat time window rather than a noise-level threshold, a contractor operating machinery, running generators, or hammering on a building outside the 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window violates subsection H even if the sound produced would not separately exceed the decibel limits set elsewhere in § 106-3.L for mechanical equipment; the two provisions operate independently and can each apply to the same job site at different times of day. Enforcement rests with the Abington Health Department and Abington Police Department under § 106-4, and a resident who hears construction activity before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. can report it to either department for investigation without needing a sound-level meter reading, since the violation turns on the clock rather than the meter.