Noise ordinances › Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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Quiet hours in Pittsburgh

Night in § 601.04 runs 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and lowers the limit only for unamplified noise: Table A drops from 65 dB(A) by day to 55 dB(A) at night (or 3 above background, whichever is greater). Amplified noise from loudspeakers and audio devices is held to 75 dB(A) by day and by night alike (Table B), so the night window does not lower the limit for amplified sound. Lawn care and other household maintenance equipment and tools are exempt only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (601.04(f)(4)), and a permitted parade or special event is exempt only if it keeps within the applicable maximum level between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (601.04(f)(6)). The vehicle and portable-stereo rule in 601.04(e) has no hours. Construction is handled differently: "construction activities properly permitted in the City of Pittsburgh" are exempt from § 601.04 altogether (601.04(f)(5)), and the hours come from the Zoning Code, which permits construction operations for projects with current and valid permits from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday through Friday and 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, and limits impact work such as pile drivers, jackhammers and concrete saws to 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Saturday (§ 917.06 and 917.06(A)); exceptions may be granted through a Construction Management Plan, and emergency and critical public works are exempt (§ 917.06(C)–(D)). For uses subject to the zoning Residential Compatibility Standards, a separate night window runs 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (§ 916.06).

Decibel limits

Yes. § 601.04(c) applies to noise that leaves the premises where it originates and enters any residential property or premises in a residential zoning district. Table A (unamplified): 65 dB(A) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 55 dB(A) from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., in each case "or 3 above background sound level, whichever is greater." Table B (loudspeakers, audio amplification devices and similar devices): 75 dB(A) day and night, with the same background alternative. Measurement (601.04(c)(3)): at the property line of the receiving premises if that line is 25 feet or more from the source, otherwise within the receiving property at the lesser of 25 feet from the source or the farthest possible distance; individual background noises such as barking dogs, passing cars and televisions must be absent, general background may be present; readings are the visual average over a continuous 30-second period plus the maximum, and a violation occurs if the average exceeds the table or the maximum exceeds it by 5 dB(A) or 5 dB(C) (definition of NOISE or NOISE LEVEL); the meter must meet ANSI S1.4 Type 1 or Type 2, A-weighted with slow time weighting (601.04(b), (h)). Apartment-to-apartment and residence-to-residence noise is measured against the background level in the complainant's unit "at the levels specified in Tables A or B" (601.04(d)). The meter is one of three alternatives: the same definitions make noise "clearly audible from a distance of seventy-five (75) feet" and sound that "annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities" noise as well, (c)(1)(ii) and (c)(2)(ii) make 75-foot audibility a violation on its own, and (d)(1)(c) applies the reasonable-person test between residences; vehicle sound systems and portable devices are judged by whether they are plainly audible to an officer at 75 feet, words need not be discernible (601.04(e)). The Zoning Code adds land-use performance standards: § 917.02 limits noise from machinery or equipment within a development, speaker boxes, pick-up and delivery trucks and other commercial or industrial activities under the occupant's control to 65 dBA by day and 60 dBA at night at the property line of the closest use (75 dBA at all hours for industrial and manufacturing receivers), or 3 above background, whichever is greater; and § 916.06 holds uses subject to Residential Compatibility Standards to 45 dB(A) from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and 55 dB(A) at other times, or 3 dB(A) above background, whichever is greater, at the lot line of residentially zoned lots.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 601.04(b), NOISE or NOISE LEVEL: "The terms noise and noise level may mean the sound that is capable of being measured as sound pressure level in decibels. Noise and noise level may also mean the sound that is clearly audible from a distance of seventy-five (75) feet or sound that annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities. This Section offers alternative methods to measure noise."

Sec. 601.04(c)(1): "Unamplified Noise. No person shall transmit or cause to be transmitted any unamplified noise, which leaves the premises from which it originates, and enters any residential property or premises in a residential zoning district: (i) In excess of the noise levels specified below in Table A; or (ii) Noise that is clearly audible from a distance of seventy-five (75) feet."

Sec. 601.04(c)(1), Table A (Daytime: 7:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. / Nighttime: 10:00 p.m.—7:00 a.m.): "65 dB(A) or 3 above background sound level, whichever is greater" / "55 dB(A) or 3 above background sound level, whichever is greater"; Sec. 601.04(c)(2), Table B (same periods): "75 dB(A) or 3 above background sound level, whichever is greater" / "75 dB(A) or 3 above background sound level, whichever is greater"

Sec. 601.04(c)(3)(a): "Location of Noise Measurements. Noise levels shall be measured at the property line of a receiving premises if at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet or greater from the noise source. If the receiving premises property line is not at least twenty-five (25) feet from the noise source, the measurement will be taken within the property of the receiving premises at the lesser of twenty-five (25) feet from the noise source or the farthest possible distance from the noise source."

Sec. 601.04(e)(1): "No person shall transmit noise from a vehicle being operated on a public street, or alley, or in commercial or residential parking facilities, by playing any radio, tape player, compact disc player, loudspeaker, or other electronic device used for the amplification of music or other entertainment, or other machine or device designed or intended to produce or reproduce sound, which is plainly audible to an officer at a distance of seventy-five (75) feet from the source of the noise."

Sec. 601.04(f)(5): "The noise is being generated by construction activities properly permitted in the City of Pittsburgh; or"

Sec. 601.04(i)(2): "Violation of Section 601.04(e)(1) shall result in the mandatory fine of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for a first-time violation and a mandatory three hundred dollar ($300.00) fine and booting of a vehicle for the second offense. Booting of the vehicle shall occur if the fine from the first violation is outstanding. The owner of the vehicle shall be responsible for all costs associated with the booting."

Sec. 917.06 (Zoning Code): "Construction operations for projects that have current and valid permits are permitted during the hours of 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM Monday through Friday and 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, and subject to the following standards: A. Impact construction or demolition operations such as pile drivers, jackhammers, concrete saws, etc., shall be limited to between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday through Saturday;"

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (The Pittsburgh Code, Code of Ordinances, Title Six "Conduct," Article I "Regulated Rights and Actions," Chapter 601 "Public Order," § 601.04 "Noise Control" (Ord. 17-1991, eff. 5-24-1991; Am. Ord. 22-1998, eff. 10-1-1998; Ord. 24-2001, eff. 11-30-2001; Ord. No. 4-2011, § 1, eff. 3-9-2011; Ord. No. 28-2015, § 1, eff. 8-11-2015): (a) purpose, (b) definitions, (c) restriction of noise between premises (Table A unamplified, Table B amplified, measurement), (d) apartment to apartment and residence to residence noise, (e) amplified noise from vehicles or devices, (f) exemptions, (g) reserved, (h) instrumentation, (i) penalties; with Title Six, Chapter 670 "Disruptive Property Abatement" (§ 670.02 definitions) and the Zoning Code, Title Nine, § 916.06 "Noise" (Residential Compatibility Standards, Ord. No. 13-2017), § 917.02 "Noise" (Operational Performance Standards, Ord. No. 13-2017) and § 917.06 "Construction Operations" (Ord. No. 13-2017; Ord. No. 35-2017). Text read on eCode360 (General Code, the City's code host; "Includes legislation through 09-16-2026") on 2026-10-01.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-01. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Pittsburgh

Per pittsburghpa.gov, "311" and "Contacting 311" pages: "Dial 311 or our ten-digit number: 412-255-2621"; calls are answered by a live operator from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; requests can also be made through the online 311 Request Form, by email to PGH311@pittsburghpa.gov, through the PGH311 mobile app, or by TeleTypeWriter at 412-255-8647; requests "can be sent anonymously if you do not require a response," and the 311 page notes that 311 now uses caller ID unless you press *67 before dialing. The Pittsburgh 311 request portal linked from those pages lists "Excessive Noise/Disturbances" under "Public Safety: Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services" ("Report excessive noise or noise-related disturbances"), and its short-term-rental entry says to dial 911 for concerns that are "currently IN PROGRESS" and to use "Excessive Noise/Disturbances" for ongoing noise. Penalties: up to $300 and costs per offense, or up to 30 days in default of payment (601.04(i)(1)); for vehicle sound systems, a mandatory $150 on a first violation and a mandatory $300 plus booting of the vehicle on a second (601.04(i)(2)). A § 601.04 violation is also "disruptive activity" under Chapter 670, and a property with disruptive activity on three or more separate occasions within 12 months can be declared a disruptive property (§ 670.02).

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Pittsburgh. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) Pittsburgh defines "noise" three ways at once (a measured level, sound clearly audible at 75 feet, or sound that annoys a reasonable person) and says so: the section "offers alternative methods to measure noise." (2) The amplified limit does not drop at night: Table B is 75 dB(A) at 2 p.m. and at 2 a.m., 20 dB(A) above the unamplified night limit, though 75-foot audibility still applies. (3) Every table limit has a floor of "3 above background," so in a loud area the effective limit rises with the background. (4) Readings use a 30-second visual average plus the peak, and a violation also occurs if the peak exceeds the table by 5 dB(A) or 5 dB(C), the only mention of C-weighting in § 601.04; subsection (h) refers to "Tables A, B, or C" but there is no Table C, subsection (g) is reserved, the exemption list in (f) ends at item (8) with a dangling "or," and penalty subsection (i)(4) repeats (i)(3) and adds only a reference to Chapter 670. (5) The tables and the 75-foot rule in § 601.04(c) protect only residential property and premises in residential zoning districts. The Zoning Code's performance standards (§ 917.02) are a separate layer for machinery, equipment, speaker boxes, delivery trucks and other commercial or industrial activity within a development, measured at the property line of the closest use of any kind, with a night figure of 60 dBA for every receiving use other than industrial and manufacturing, not 55. (6) Properly permitted construction is exempt from § 601.04, and that exemption names no hours (601.04(f)(5)); the construction clock lives in the Zoning Code (§ 917.06), which starts at 6:00 AM on weekdays and allows impact work such as jackhammers from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. (7) Car stereos carry the only mandatory fines in § 601.04, $150 then $300 plus a boot, and the 75-foot test is "plainly audible to an officer"; portable devices such as hand-carried radios, cellular telephones and iPods are covered by the same provision (601.04(e)(2)), and vehicles with permits for amplified sound are exempt (601.04(e)(3)). (8) Events that charge admission are excluded from the definition of "special event," so they are fully subject to the section; permitted parades and special events are exempt only if they keep within the maximum level from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (9) Lawn mowers and other household maintenance tools are exempt only from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; bells and chimes used by a school or religious institution are exempt (601.04(f)). (10) Repeat violations can follow the property, not just the person: § 601.04 is listed as disruptive activity in Chapter 670, three occasions within 12 months make a disruptive property, and the code's definition of property covers commercial or residential real estate, including individual rental units (§ 670.02), although the City's Disruptive Properties web page describes the program in terms of commercial properties.

Document it before you report it

Pittsburgh's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Pittsburgh noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.