Reading, PA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Reading, PA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Weekday/Saturday curfew
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Sundays/holidays
- Construction noise barred all day
- Exception
- Emergency work only
- Enforced by
- Reading Police Department
Summary
Construction, drilling and demolition equipment can't create a noise disturbance across a residential property line in Reading between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, or at any time Sundays and holidays.
Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction operations, drilling or demolition work: (1) Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day on weekdays and Saturdays or at any time on Sundays or legal holidays, such that the sound therefore creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property line (boundary), except for emergency work.
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
Under § 387-104.C of Reading's noise ordinance, operating construction, drilling or demolition tools and equipment so that the sound creates a noise disturbance across a residential property line is barred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day on weekdays and Saturdays, and barred at any time at all on Sundays and legal holidays. Emergency work is the only listed exception. The rule sits inside the same Chapter 387 curfew scheme that also covers domestic power tools, amplified sound and other noise sources, and is enforced by the Reading Police Department.
Violations & Fines
Violating the construction-hours limit carries a fine of $100 to $1,000 plus costs; unpaid fines can mean up to 30 days in jail, and each day of violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews work in Reading?
Is there an emergency-work exception?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
How Reading compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview
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