June 24, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
“Yes, Virginia, Bethlehem does have a noise ordinance.”
I mimic the 1897 New York Sun editorial about Santa Claus because even Christmas City residents might not believe in the noise ordinance.
The city is loud, mostly because of cars. Between the straight-pipers, exhaust modifiers and boom cars, we have a mobile Musikfest 365 days per year.
For reasons that date back to their childhood, some people — mostly young men — seek attention.
We have a great police force in this city. When I had a problem a few years back with a neighbor making noise, I tried to deal with it myself.
When that failed, I called the police non-emergency number and a young officer gave the neighbor a lecture and things improved immediately.
Still, we need more. Dining outside on Main Street is no fun when loud cars pass by every minute.
In parts of the city, the noise nonsense starts early and ends late if ever.
Note the ordinance: if you can hear it 40 feet away, it’s a violation. I can hear vehicles maybe a half-mile away that have been modified to make that idiotic cannon-ball noise.
I’m looking into whether Bethlehem City government can look into the issue, and into model ordinances other cities use.
The main approaches focus on decibels or “the reasonable person” standard.
I’m reasonable. I just don’t want to hear your internal combustion or your infernal music.
I’ll be following up. You’ll hear from me.
Here’s a link to the ordinance:
https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/CityOfBethlehem/media/COBfiles/oldbeth/ordinance/pdf/ARTICLE0717.pdf
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
Jeff, The City of Bethlehem also has an ordinance for Garbage haulers that states For North Bethlehem No pickup before 6am, and for South Bethlehem, No pickup before 5am. However the city of Bethlehem seems to turn a blind eye to enforcement of this ordinance as I routinely see solid waste haulers violating this.
1162.09 TIME, FREQUENCY AND MANNER OF COLLECTION.
(a) Solid waste collection shall be on a six (6) day per week basis (Monday through
Saturday) and shall take place between the hours of 5:00 AM and 4:00 PM on south side of the
City, and between the hours of 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the north side of the City.
Jeff, this leaves me with the impression that the Chief of police “choses” which ordinances she wants her department to uphold. Be it the noise ordinance or another I have to believe that those police officers who are sitting in their cars at 5am (waiting for their shift to end), Are seeing these garbage haulers on the streets before their allotted time.
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First, I wonder why it’s different on the South Side.
Second, I think such ordinances are usually enforced after complaints, like other “quality of life” rules. Grass height, trash pile-up, etc.
I’m looking at how some other cities go after noisy people. If I can hear something a half-mile away, I figure one loud oaf is irritating a few thousand residents by removing their catalytic converter.
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