Noise Ordinances in Greensboro, NC

If you live in Greensboro or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Greensboro has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Aircraft Noise

Piedmont Triad Airport (GSO) has a FAA Part 150 program with sound insulation for homes in the 65 DNL contour. Noise maps updated 2022. Aircraft in flight federally preempted.

Key details: Airport: PTI (GSO) - FedEx hub. Part 150: Approved 2008, maps updated 2022. Sound Insulation: Homes within 65 DNL contour. Federal Preemption: Aircraft in flight exempt.

No local enforcement for aircraft in flight (federal preemption). Building compliance required in noise impact zones for new construction.

Vehicle Noise

Greensboro bans car stereos audible 30 feet away, racing engines or spinning tires, and unmuffled engines under City Code § 18-50(c), (e) and (k). Each is listed as an unlawful noise-producing activity enforced by police citation with rising civil penalties.

Key details: Stereo audibility limit: 30 feet from vehicle. Racing/spinning tires: Unlawful per § 18-50(e). Muffler requirement: Good working condition, § 18-50(k). First offense: Warning notice only. Second offense penalty: $200 civil penalty.

The chief of police has primary enforcement authority under § 18-55, and an officer issues a citation; arrest is reserved for refusal to give identification, refusal to stop the activity, or interference with enforcement. Section 18-58 sets a warning for the first violation, then a $200 civil penalty for a second, $350 for a third, and $500 for more than three violations or two within a year, with injunctive relief or abatement available against repeat willful violators. Appeals go to a nonjudicial hearing with the chief of police within 30 days, reviewable only by certiorari in Guilford County Superior Court.

Construction Hours

Greensboro bars construction noise in residential districts between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and in all other districts between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. City Code § 18-50(h) treats erection, demolition, alteration, excavation and grading noise in those hours as an unlawful disturbing sound.

Key details: Residential quiet window: 6:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.. Other districts quiet window: 10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.. First violation: Warning notice. Repeat civil penalty: $200-$500. Enforcement: Chief of police / designee.

Under § 18-58, the city issues a warning for a first noise violation, a $200 civil penalty for a second, $350 for a third, and $500 for more than three violations (or two within one year). The city can also seek injunctive relief or abatement against a person who willfully commits three or more violations in a year. A cited party may request a nonjudicial administrative hearing with the chief of police within 30 days of notification; the hearing officer's decision is reviewable only in Guilford County Superior Court by certiorari under § 18-58.

Leaf Blower Rules

Greensboro exempts mowers, tillers, leaf blowers, edgers and weed eaters from its noise article only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. under City Code § 18-54(k). Outside that window, yard equipment noise falls back under the article's general unreasonable-noise standard.

Key details: Exempt window: 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.. Covered equipment: Mowers, tillers, leaf blowers, edgers, weed eaters. Outside window: Falls under general § 18-49 standard. First offense: Warning notice. Enforcement: Chief of police / designee.

Yard equipment noise outside the 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. exemption window can be cited under §§ 18-49 and 18-55, with the chief of police holding primary enforcement responsibility. Section 18-58 applies the standard noise penalty schedule: a warning for a first violation, then $200, $350 and $500 civil penalties for successive violations, appealable to a nonjudicial hearing with the chief of police within 30 days and reviewable only by certiorari in Guilford County Superior Court.

Greensboro is more permissive than most cities when it comes to leaf blower rules. That said, there are still limits.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Greensboro bans outdoor amplified sound, including amplified instruments and speakers, from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Amplifiers on public property cannot be plainly audible beyond 30 feet. Near homes, sound is presumed a noise disturbance above 70 dB(C) by day and 65 dB(C) at night in residential districts. The Greensboro Police Department enforces the rules.

Key details: Outdoor amplified sound curfew: 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., every night. Amplifier on public property: Not plainly audible beyond 30 feet. Residential limit, daytime: 70 dB(C) from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.. Residential limit, nighttime: 65 dB(C) from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Restaurant and brewpub patios: Until 2:00 a.m. at 70 dB(C) or lower.

Greensboro treats the first violation of the noise article as a warning. A second violation carries a $200 civil penalty and a third $350. More than three violations, or two within one year, brings $500 per violation, and the city can seek an injunction or abatement against anyone who willfully commits three or more in a year. Unreasonably loud noise under § 18-49 is also a class 3 misdemeanor with a $50 fine. Commercial establishments face a 24-hour closure order if the violation creates an imminent danger.

Decibel Limits

Greensboro presumes a noise disturbance when sound at a residential property boundary exceeds 70 dB(C) from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. or 65 dB(C) from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in residential and TN districts. Mixed Use and PUD districts allow 85 dB(C) by day and 75 dB(C) at night. City Code § 18-51 sets the limits and the police department enforces them.

Key details: Residential and TN daytime limit: 70 dB(C), 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.. Residential and TN nighttime limit: 65 dB(C), 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Mixed Use and PUD limits: 85 dB(C) daytime, 75 dB(C) nighttime. Measurement method: C-weighted, slow response, four 30-second readings. Enforcing agency: Greensboro chief of police and officers.

The first violation of the noise article draws a warning notice. A second violation carries a $200 civil penalty and a third carries $350. More than three violations, or two violations within one year, bring a $500 civil penalty. The city can seek an injunction or abatement against anyone who willfully commits three or more violations in a one-year period. Civil penalties are collected through a civil action in the nature of a debt. Interfering with an officer taking sound measurements is a class 3 misdemeanor with a $50 fine.

Quiet Hours

Greensboro bars outdoor sound amplification, amplified instruments or sound reproduction devices between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under City Code § 18-50.1(a). Exceptions cover restaurant patios, drive-throughs and set holiday extensions like New Year's Eve.

Key details: Curfew window: 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.. Holiday extension: Shifts start to 2:00 a.m.. Drive-through audio: Exempt any hour. Retitled: Ord. No. 13-119, Sept. 17, 2013. Closure power: 24-hr closure for imminent-danger violations.

Enforcement runs through the noise enforcement officer and chief of police under §§ 18-55 and 18-56. Section 18-58 imposes a warning for a first violation, then $200, $350 and $500 civil penalties for successive violations, plus injunctive relief for willful repeat offenders. Under § 18-58(c), if an outdoor sound violation at a commercial establishment creates an imminent danger to public health or safety, the noise enforcement officer may order the establishment to immediately cease outside sound activities and, for noncompliance, close it for 24 hours.

Barking Dogs

Letting a dog or other animal bark, whine, howl, crow or cackle in a 'long-continued or frequent fashion' that interferes with a neighbor's use of their property is a public nuisance under Greensboro City Code § 5-5(2)e, since the city's old dedicated animal-noise section, § 18-41, was repealed in 2007.

Key details: Standard: long-continued or frequent noise. Decibel/quiet-hours limit: none set. Old noise section 18-41: repealed 2007. Enforced via: Guilford County Animal Control. Remedy: civil penalty or court abatement.

A sustained barking-nuisance finding can draw a civil penalty under the county ordinance's schedule and, if the noise continues, a court-ordered abatement or injunction sought by the city under G.S. § 160A-175. There is no separate criminal noise citation available for animal sounds specifically, since § 18-41 was repealed in 2007 and never replaced with an animal-specific decibel standard.

The Bottom Line

Greensboro's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Greensboro is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Greensboro can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, which shows when its source was last checked.