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Lower Paxton, PA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Light Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified October 2026

Key Facts

Exempt hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., § 131-2B(3)
Equipment named: Lawn mowers, snowblowers, leaf blowers, household power tools
Gas blower ban: None printed in Chapter 131
Night limit at a home: 55 dBA in a residential district from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Maximum penalty: $1,000 fine or 90 days, each day a separate offense

Summary

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, leaf blowers sit in the Chapter 131 exemption for lawn mowers, snowblowers and household power tools between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The Township Code has no separate gas-blower ban or equipment decibel cap. Use outside the window is measured against the § 131-2A limits.

B. The maximum permissible sound level limits set forth in the above table shall not apply to any of the following noise sources: ... (3) Lawn mowers, snowblowers, leaf blowers, and household power tools between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

View official code

Full Breakdown

Chapter 131 of the Lower Paxton Township Code, the Noise Ordinance adopted 3-10-2020 as Ord. No. 20-02, has three sections, and the only one that names leaf blowers is § 131-2B(3). It exempts lawn mowers, snowblowers, leaf blowers and household power tools between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. from the sound level limits in the § 131-2A table. The exemption prints hours only and does not mention days of the week or holidays. It does not distinguish gas from electric or battery equipment, and no section of Chapter 131 sets a decibel cap for a particular machine.

Outside 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., the sound is measured at the receiving lot line against the table. At the lot line of a residential use in a residential district the limit is 55 dBA from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. plus Sundays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Easter Sunday, Labor Day and Memorial Day, and 60 dBA in the daytime band. A principal residential use in a commercial or industrial district is held to 65 dBA by day and 60 dBA at night and on holidays, and any other lot line to 70 dBA.

Related exemptions in the same subsection cover agricultural activities, including permitted raising of livestock, and construction between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., so a landscaper working on a building project and a homeowner clearing leaves run on different clocks: 8:00 p.m. for construction and 9:00 p.m. for lawn and household power equipment. Inside a Township park, § 132-7K(1) separately makes it unlawful to disturb the peace.

Violations & Fines

Section 131-3 makes a violation a summary offense heard by a Magisterial District Judge. A person, firm or corporation that violates or permits a violation faces a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion of a day is a separate offense, and each section violated is a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I run a leaf blower in Lower Paxton Township?

Section 131-2B(3) exempts leaf blowers from the decibel limits between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The exemption names hours and no days, so the printed text carries no Sunday or holiday carve-out. After 9:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m. the table limit at the neighbor's lot line applies, 55 dBA at a residential lot line in a residential district.

Does the Township ban gas-powered leaf blowers?

No such ban appears in Chapter 131. The chapter has three sections, and the only mention of leaf blowers is the § 131-2B(3) exemption for lawn mowers, snowblowers, leaf blowers and household power tools between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The code prints no separate decibel cap for any one machine.

Are there different rules for landscapers?

The leaf blower exemption in § 131-2B(3) does not mention commercial crews or contractors, and construction work has its own exemption in § 131-2B(2) from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The code prints no separate commercial leaf blower rule. Agricultural activities are exempt separately, but a commercial kennel is expressly not exempted.

What happens if a leaf blower runs after 9:00 p.m.?

The exemption has ended, so the sound is measured at the receiving lot line against the table. Violations are summary offenses before a Magisterial District Judge, punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, and each day or portion of a day is a separate offense under § 131-3.

Sources & Official References

[1]Lower Paxton Township Code, Chapter 131 Noise (eCode360)

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How Lower Paxton compares: Cities with the Strictest Leaf Blower Rules·Compare Lower Paxton to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview

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