Penn Hills, PA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., any day
- Equipment covered
- Weedblowers, string trimmers, powered lawnmowers, other powered landscape equipment
- First step
- Verbal warning from a police officer, § 636.05
- Maximum fine
- Not more than $1,000, § 636.06
- Default penalty
- Imprisonment not to exceed 30 days
- Repeat days
- Each day is a separate offense
- Adopted
- Ordinance 2019-2654, passed 10-21-2019
Summary
The Municipality of Penn Hills in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania declares noise from weedblowers, string trimmers, powered lawnmowers and other powered landscape maintenance equipment excessive between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any day. Police issue a verbal warning first, and a conviction carries a fine of not more than $1,000.
(a) It is unlawful for any person to make, continue, cause to be made or permit to be made within the Municipality, any excessive noise. (b) Without limitation as to the types of noise-producing acts which are in violation of this section, noise produced by the following acts are declared to be excessive noise in violation of this section: ... (5) Landscape Maintenance Activities. Use of weedblowers, string trimmers, powered lawnmowers and/or other powered landscape maintenance equipment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any day. ... Upon determination by a police officer that a violation under this chapter has occurred or is occurring, the police officer shall first issue a verbal warning to the offender. ... Any person, firm, partnership or corporation who shall violate any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not more than $1,000, and in default of payment, to undergo imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this chapter continues shall constitute a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4434863; v5 updated 2025-07-21; through 07-21-2025).
Full Breakdown
Landscape equipment noise is governed by § 636.02(b)(5) of the Code of the Municipality of Penn Hills, part of Chapter 636, the Noise chapter adopted by Ordinance 2019-2654 on 10-21-2019. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to make, continue, cause or permit any excessive noise within the Municipality. Subsection (b) then lists acts declared excessive noise without limiting the general rule, and item (5) covers Landscape Maintenance Activities: use of weedblowers, string trimmers, powered lawnmowers and/or other powered landscape maintenance equipment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any day.
The operative words are other powered landscape maintenance equipment. The provision names weedblowers, string trimmers and powered lawnmowers, does not name leaf blowers separately, and prints no distinction between gas and electric machines. It also sets no decibel limit and no daytime restriction. The prohibited window is fixed at 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., seven days a week, and it applies anywhere in the Municipality, residential or not, unless an exception applies.
Section 636.03 lists those exceptions. The chapter does not apply to vehicles, equipment or personnel of the Municipality engaged in necessary public business, or to any area classified in the Penn Hills Zoning Ordinance as a Light or General Industrial District that is not less than 500 feet from any residential zoning district. The Municipal Manager permission process in § 636.02(b)(3), and the hearing before the Penn Hills Board of Appeals in § 636.04, are tied to construction and repair work and do not extend to landscape equipment.
Other night-time limits in the same subsection give context: mechanical rubbish collection is barred in residential zoning districts, and within 500 feet of them, during the same 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. window, while loud construction and repair work is barred from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Enforcement starts with a warning. Under § 636.05, when a police officer determines a violation is occurring, the officer first issues a verbal warning describing the specific acts and notifying the offender that continuing will bring a citation.
Violations & Fines
Section 636.05 requires a verbal warning first. If the same or substantially similar conduct continues within a reasonably proximate amount of time, the offender is subject to a citation. Under § 636.06, a conviction carries a fine of not more than $1,000 and, in default of payment, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Section 636.07 declares a violation a nuisance that the Municipality can abate through a restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction, and the civil and penal remedies can be used simultaneously or consecutively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can I not use a leaf blower in Penn Hills?
Does Penn Hills ban gas leaf blowers?
Will I get a ticket right away for running a mower at night in Penn Hills?
How much is the fine for night-time landscape noise in Penn Hills?
Are there any exceptions to the Penn Hills landscape equipment hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Penn Hills
How Penn Hills compares: Cities with the Strictest Leaf Blower Rules·Compare Penn Hills to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview
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