Bristol Township, PA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Chapter 129, Noise, was adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Bristol on 6-15-2006 as Ord. No. 2006-09. Section 129-1 A defines a noise disturbance as any sound that endangers the safety or health of any person, disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or endangers personal or real property, measured on the A-weighted decibel scale expressed as dBA. Section 129-1 B then applies numeric limits in areas of Bristol Township zoned residential under the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 205). Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. the limit is 55 dBA. Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. it drops to 45 dBA. The code prints no numeric limit for the hours from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., where the general standard in § 129-2 still applies: excessive noises or sounds that are physically annoying to the comfort of any reasonable person, or so harsh, prolonged, and unnatural or unusual in their use, time and place as to occasion physical discomfort.

Readings are taken from 30 feet away or whatever the enforcement official deems practicable, so long as the measurement technique complies with suggested industry measurement standards.

Several specific acts in § 129-3 run on the same 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. clock: construction and demolition work (D), powered tools used out of doors (F), and snowblowers after the first twenty-four hours following a storm (H). Other prohibitions apply at all hours, including an animal or bird that makes noise continuously or persistently for 15 minutes or more (A), audio equipment and amplified sound that creates a noise disturbance (B), loudspeakers that create a noise disturbance across a residential property line (C), and burglar alarms that sound longer than 10 minutes (I). Section 129-4 exempts emergency alerts, emergency work, permitted public gatherings, emergency vehicle warning devices and emergency snow removal equipment.