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Council proposes ban on outdoor drumming in areas near Delaware River and major streets.

Official:Amending Chapter 10-400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Noise and Excessive Vibration," by providing for a prohibition against the use of drums and cymbals and devices and objects used as drums and cymbals outdoors in certain areas of the City audible at a certain distance from the activity, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Squilla

Introduced: November 16, 2017

: Committee on Public Health and Human Services

public health public safetyvibration

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2016–2019 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill would prohibit outdoor drumming and noise-making in certain areas of Philadelphia, such as around the Delaware River, Schuylkill River, Washington Avenue, and Spring Garden Street.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

The bill would

Prohibit the use of drums and cymbals outdoors in certain areas of Philadelphia, including around the Delaware River, Schuylkill River, Washington Avenue, and Spring Garden Street.
Prohibit the use of devices or objects used as drums or cymbals outdoors in the same areas.
Require that outdoor drumming and noise-making be inaudible at a distance greater than 100 feet from the location of the drum or device.
Impose this prohibition on anyone producing percussive sound using hands, sticks, or other devices in combination with a drum or cymbal, or with a device or object used in the manner of a drum or cymbal.