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.

Decibel Limits

Greensboro caps noise at residential property lines using a table: 70 dB(C) daytime / 65 dB(C) nighttime in residential and traditional neighborhood zones, and 85/75 dB(C) in mixed-use and PUD zones. City Code § 18-51 makes this the controlling standard when it conflicts with other noise limits.

Key details: Residential daytime cap: 70 dB(C), 7 a.m.-11 p.m.. Residential nighttime cap: 65 dB(C), 11 p.m.-7 a.m.. Mixed-use/PUD daytime cap: 85 dB(C). Mixed-use/PUD nighttime cap: 75 dB(C). Measurement method: C-weighted meter, four 30-sec readings.

Any reading that exceeds the applicable table limit "is a violation of this article" per § 18-52(b)(3). Enforcement and penalties run through §§ 18-55 and 18-58: a warning for the first violation, then $200, $350 and $500 civil penalties for successive violations within the schedule, with injunctive relief available against a person who willfully commits three or more violations in a year. Appeals of a citation go to a nonjudicial administrative hearing with the chief of police within 30 days, reviewable only by certiorari in Guilford County Superior Court.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Greensboro bans outdoor amplified sound between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. under City Code § 18-50.1, and separately caps public-property sound amplifiers at audible-beyond-30-feet under § 18-50(o)-(p). Section 18-51 sets numeric decibel ceilings at residential property lines: 70 dB(C) by day and 65 dB(C) at night in residential zones.

Key details: Outdoor amplified sound curfew: 11pm-7am. Restaurant/brewpub exception: Until 2am, ≤70 dB(C). Public-amplifier audibility limit: 30 feet. Residential decibel cap: 70 dB(C) day / 65 dB(C) night. Penalty: Class 3 misdemeanor, up to $50.

Running outdoor amplified sound after 11 p.m. (2 a.m. for restaurants/brewpubs under 70 dB(C), or on six holiday nights), operating a public-property sound amplifier audible beyond 30 feet, or exceeding the residential decibel table (70 dB(C) day / 65 dB(C) night) is a class 3 misdemeanor under G.S. § 14-4, fined up to $50 per § 18-49.

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, where we track updates as they happen.