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Bethlehem, PA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Some Restrictions

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

Quiet hours in Bethlehem, PA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.

Key Facts

Construction curfew: No work 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Curfew waiver: Special permit from CED Director
General noise ban: Applies 24 hours, no set hours
Peddler hours: No crying wares 10pm-7am or Sundays
First offense fine: $50 to $100

Summary

Bethlehem's general noise nuisance ban in Section 717.01 runs around the clock, but the code carves out one true nighttime curfew: construction, drilling, and demolition tools and equipment cannot run between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. without a special permit from the Community and Economic Development Director.

(5) Construction and Improvements. The operating of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling or demolition work, provided that such work does not occur between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless a special permit is obtained from the Community and Economic Development Director or his designated representative.

View official code

Full Breakdown

01(a) makes 'unnecessary noise' from a person, animal, musical instrument, or amplifying system a public nuisance across the City, with no time-of-day limit built into the base rule; the prohibition covers noise that endangers or injures health or property, or that annoys a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, at any hour. , unless the operator first obtains a special permit from the Community and Economic Development Director or a designated representative. is already covered by subsection (a) without needing a separate curfew section. , or at all on Sunday.

Violations & Fines

Running construction, drilling, or demolition equipment between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. without a Community and Economic Development Director permit violates Section 717.01(b)(5) and is punished under Section 717.99: $50.00 to $100.00 for a first offense, $100.00 to $300.00 for a second, and at least $500.00 or thirty days in jail for a third or later offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bethlehem have set quiet hours for noise complaints?

Not a blanket residential curfew. Section 717.01(a) bans unnecessary, disturbing noise at any hour of the day or night without a set start or end time; the only fixed clock restriction anywhere in the Article is the construction curfew written into subsection (b)(5).

When can construction crews legally run equipment in Bethlehem?

Section 717.01(b)(5) exempts construction, drilling, and demolition tools from the general noise ban, but only for work that stops by 9:00 p.m. and does not resume before 6:00 a.m., unless the operator first gets a special permit from the Community and Economic Development Director.

Can I call about a loud neighbor at midnight even without a curfew ordinance?

Yes. Section 717.01(a) already prohibits noise that disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities at any hour, so a midnight disturbance is enforceable under the general nuisance ban even though no separate overnight curfew section names that hour.

Sources & Official References

[1]Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem, Article 717 (Noises)

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All Bethlehem rules

How Bethlehem compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Bethlehem to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview

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