Harrisburg, PA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Harrisburg, PA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Barred hours
- Any Sunday, and 8:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. other days
- Equipment named
- Jackhammer, air compressor, power-driven drill, excavator, riveting machine
- Permission
- Written request to the City Engineer
- Appeal
- To the Chief of Police within seven calendar days
- Industrial exemption
- Industrial zone at least 500 feet from residential zone
- Fine
- $50 to $1,000 plus costs per violation
- Repeat minimum
- $500 beyond five violations per calendar year
Summary
In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, loud construction, repair and excavation work that disturbs people in their sleeping quarters is prohibited on any Sunday and between 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. on any other day. The City Engineer can grant written permission, and industrial zones at least 500 feet from a residential zone are outside the rule.
(5) Construction or repair activities. (a) The performance of any construction or repair work of any kind upon, or excavating for, any building or structure, where any such work entails the use of any air compressor, jackhammer, power-driven drill, riveting machine, excavator, hand hammer on steel or iron, or any other machine, tool, device, or equipment which makes loud noises to the disturbance of persons occupying sleeping quarters in a dwelling, hotel, or apartment or other place of residence. The above use of machinery or equipment that produces such unnecessary noise shall be prohibited on any Sunday or any other day between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. The provisions of this section do not apply to any person who performs any construction, repair, or excavation pursuant to the express written permission of the City Engineer. ... (b) Any person dissatisfied with the decision of the City Engineer may forthwith appeal to the Chief of Police by filing a written request for a hearing within seven calendar days of the City Engineer's decision.
Full Breakdown
The rule sits in Chapter 3-343, Noise Control and Abatement, of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Harrisburg, which the Harrisburg City Council adopted by Ord. No. 42-1999 and amended in its entirety on 6-5-2007 by Ord. No. 4-2007. Section 3-343.2.B(5)(a) reaches construction or repair work of any kind on, or excavating for, any building or structure when the work uses an air compressor, jackhammer, power-driven drill, riveting machine, excavator, hand hammer on steel or iron, or any other loud machine, tool, device or equipment, to the disturbance of people sleeping in a dwelling, hotel, apartment or other place of residence. That use of equipment is prohibited on any Sunday or any other day between 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Permission comes from the City Engineer. A contractor applies in writing, states the reasons for the request and the facts behind them, and the City Engineer can approve the work if it is not otherwise barred by the Codified Ordinances or general law and one of three findings is made: the work is in the public interest; hardship, injustice or unreasonable delay would result from stopping it during the barred hours; or the building is devoted or intended to be devoted to a use immediately incidental to the public defense. Anyone unhappy with the City Engineer's decision appeals to the Chief of Police by filing a written request for a hearing within seven calendar days.
Three carve-outs follow. Emergency work needed to preserve life or property when the City offices are closed, or when the need is too urgent to wait for permits, is outside the rule if the person obtains a permit within one day after the City Engineer's office first reopens. A Public Utility Commission regulated utility is outside the rule for work necessary for the immediate preservation of public health, safety or welfare. And the rule does not apply in an area the Zoning Code classifies as a manufacturing or industrial zone that is not less than 500 feet from any residential zone. Section 3-343.3.D separately exempts any construction or repair sound that is not in violation of § 3-343.2. Under § 3-343.5, a violation also counts as a nuisance the City can abate through a restraining order or injunction.
Violations & Fines
Section 3-343.99 sends violations to Chapter 3-399. Each separate violation is a summary offense carrying a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 plus costs, or imprisonment in the Dauphin County prison for not more than 90 days, or both. For each violation beyond five in a calendar year by the same person, business or establishment, the minimum fine is $500. A $25 neighborhood mitigation penalty is added on conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours is construction noise banned in the City of Harrisburg?
Can a contractor in Harrisburg get permission to work during the barred hours?
How do I appeal a City Engineer decision on night work?
Does the rule apply to emergency repairs in Harrisburg?
What is the penalty for night construction noise in Harrisburg?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harrisburg
How Harrisburg compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Harrisburg to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview
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