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Council public safety committee opens discussion on downtown noise-map petition to Pennsylvania LCB; seeks more data
Summary
Resolution 20 would petition the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to exempt a downtown area from certain LCB rules so the city can enforce its noise ordinance; committee asked police and tax-office staff to compile licensee lists and legal liaison to prepare options and left the resolution in committee.
Harrisburg’s Public Safety Committee discussed Resolution 20 on April 8, a proposal to petition the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (LCB) to exempt a defined downtown area from LCB rules on amplified music so the city’s own noise control and abatement ordinance can be enforced in that area.
Commissioner Thomas Carter and Captain Terry Wheeling of the Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division appeared to describe the proposal and historical enforcement. Captain Wheeling reviewed the ordinance’s history and the downtown boundary under past maps, explained the ordinance covers more than bars (including loud vehicles and construction noise), and provided citation counts: “Between January 2007 and October of 2015 … about 455 citations were issued citywide for violations of the ordinance,” and between November 2015 and October 2024 there were 109 citations, of which 4 were in the downtown area, he said.
Captain Wheeling described the downtown boundary in general terms during the meeting: the western boundary at Front Street from the railroad bridge north to Forrester Street; the eastern boundary near North Seventh Street from Forrester south; the northern boundary as Forrester Street and the southern boundary as the railroad tracks. He said the version presented to the committee contains “no change in verbiage or boundary at this time.”
Committee members discussed prior map changes (including Resolution 85 of 2017) and whether to restore the 2017 map; members noted the map must form a contiguous closed polygon to satisfy LCB requirements. Council members and police staff agreed to gather a current list of liquor licensees and prepare map options. The committee directed staff liaisons — including the tax office and police bureau — to assemble data on current licensees and boundaries and return the item to committee. The resolution will remain in public safety committee to allow staff to provide the requested information and for the council to consider whether to expand or alter the boundary.
Captain Wheeling said if the council proceeds with a petition, the LCB will schedule a public hearing (often held in the council chamber) and community members would be able to speak about boundary changes and specific concerns. The council did not vote on the resolution at the April 8 session.
