Lower Merion, PA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Chapter 105, Noise and Exterior Lighting, Article II, defines 'nighttime hours' in § 105-1 as the hours between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., contrasted with 'daytime hours' of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Section 105-2 makes producing excessive noise unlawful, defining excessive as sound exceeding the limits § 105-3 sets. That section, most recently amended in 2024 and 2025, caps sound differently by time of day and zoning district: for a residential receiving property, § 105-3C limits continuous sound to 65 dBA in daytime and 50 dBA at night, and impulsive sound to 75 dBA daytime and 60 dBA at night; for a nonresidential receiving property, the caps are 70 dBA daytime and 55 dBA at night for continuous sound, and 75 dBA daytime and 65 dBA at night for impulsive sound.

Independent of that table, §§ 105-3A and 105-3B separately cap any sound that exceeds five decibels above the ambient background level at a residential property, or seven decibels above background at a nonresidential one. Sound is measured under § 105-4 within 10 feet of the property line nearest the source, at least five feet from any reflecting structure and three feet off the ground, using a Type I or Type II A-weighted sound level meter specified in §§ 105-1 and 105-5. Section 105-6 exempts certain activities, including life-safety equipment such as fire pumps and required fire alarms, and aircraft or railway transportation, from the whole chapter.

The Building and Planning Department enforces the chapter and, under § 105-7A, charges a $75 reinspection fee any time it is called to the same property twice within 60 days to investigate noise complaints and confirms a violation.