Franklin Township, PA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned roads
- State Road 0896; SR 3007 to MD line
- Reason cited
- Noise nuisance in Kemblesville Historic District
- Max fine
- $1,000 plus attorney's fees, costs
- State approval required
- PennDOT, 67 Pa. Code § 179.10(20)
- Enforcers
- PA law enforcement or Township code officer
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 2015-01, 5/20/2015
Summary
In Franklin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, engine-retarding devices ('Jake brakes') are banned on State Road 0896 and on State Road 3007 between the Maryland line and State Road 0896 because their noise disturbs residents of the Kemblesville Historic District. Violators face up to a $1,000 fine before a Magisterial District Judge.
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of Franklin (the "Township") finds that the operation of motor- or engine-retarding devices commonly known as "Jake brakes"® ... on gasoline-, diesel- or other fuel-powered vehicles, whether or not such vehicles are equipped with proper exhaust mufflers or defective or modified exhaust mufflers or systems, creates noise through the use of such devices in the Historic District of Kemblesville that adversely affects the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Township. ... No person, firm, corporation, association or entity shall use an engine-retarding device on or along the following roads or highways within Franklin Township: ... A. State Road 0896, Segments 0050 and 0060. B. State Road 3007 between the Maryland state line and State Road 0896. ... Any person, firm, corporation, association or entity violating any provision of this section shall, upon conviction, be subject to pay a fine not to exceed $1,000, reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Township, plus costs of prosecution
Full Breakdown
Section 15-211, added by Ord. 2015-01 on 5/20/2015 and amended in 2017 and 2019, finds that engine- or motor-retarding devices, commonly called 'Jake brakes', create noise on gasoline-, diesel- or other fuel-powered vehicles, whether or not properly muffled, that adversely affects the public health, safety and welfare of residents in the Historic District of Kemblesville. 1) of the Second Class Township Code and obtained the required approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation under 67 Pa. 10(20) before regulating engine-retarding devices on state-numbered roads. The prohibition, as amended, bars use of an engine-retarding device, defined broadly to include engine brake retarders, exhaust brake retarders and hydraulic brake retarders, on State Road 0896 (Segments 0050 and 0060) and on State Road 3007 between the Maryland state line and State Road 0896.
The Township must post signs at the entrances to those road segments notifying drivers of the prohibition, built to PennDOT's applicable regulations. Any Pennsylvania law enforcement officer or an authorized Franklin Township code enforcement agent can enforce the section, not just the (nonexistent) local police department; Franklin Township contracts for law enforcement through the Pennsylvania State Police.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement runs through a Magisterial District Judge as a summary offense. A person, firm, corporation, association or entity that uses an engine-retarding device on the banned segments of State Road 0896 or State Road 3007 faces, upon conviction, a fine of not more than $1,000, plus the Township's reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of prosecution, and can be imprisoned as allowed by law for a summary offense if the fine and costs go unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Jake brakes illegal everywhere in Franklin Township?
Why did Franklin Township ban engine-retarding devices on those roads?
What's the penalty for using a Jake brake on a banned Franklin Township road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin Township
Compare Franklin Township to another location·View the Pennsylvania noise ordinances overview
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