Quiet hours in Philadelphia, PA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Philadelphia's Noise Code (Chapter 10-400) is mainly decibel-based rather than blanket quiet hours, but it bars amplified radios/players in the public right-of-way abutting homes from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., and a Health Department regulation prohibits residential trash collection noise from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Philadelphia Code Section 10-403 sets sound limits measured in decibels above background at the property boundary rather than fixed citywide quiet hours. The clearest time-of-day rule is Section 10-403(7)(a): in the public right-of-way abutting a residential property, no amplified sound from a radio, tape player, or similar device is allowed between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. unless used with an earplug or earphones. A general residential cap in Section 10-403(2) prohibits sound from a residential property that is audible more than 100 feet beyond the property line or that exceeds 3 decibels above background, with carve-outs for lawn equipment (8 a.m.-8 p.m.), air conditioning, animals, and the unamplified human voice. Separately, the Department of Public Health's Noise and Excessive Vibration Regulations (Section II.A, promulgated under Section 10-407) prohibit ash, trash, or garbage collection that creates noise at residential sites between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. without prior written Department permission.
Enforced by the Department of Public Health, Police Department, and Department of Licenses and Inspections via a Code Violation Notice under Section 1-112. Under Section 10-406, fines run from $100-$300 for a first violation up to $500-$700 for a fourth or later violation within twelve months, and each day a violation continues is a separate violation.
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