Noise Ordinances in Apex, NC (2026)
9 verified noise ordinances for Apex, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Apex regulates noise through Chapter 14 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Article III of the Town Code. Sec. 14-31 establishes sound emission standards that are unlawful during 'daytime or nighttime hours' when sound exceeds the maximum decibel limits in Table 1 for more than ten percent of any measuring period. Sec. 14-33 enumerates additional 'other prohibited noises' that are unlawful regardless of meter reading.
Apex Quiet Hours and General Noise Standard
Some RestrictionsConstruction Hours
Apex Town Code Sec. 14-33(7) prohibits 'the creation of loud and excessive noise from construction activities in a residential or business district Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or on Saturdays and holidays observed by the state between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.' Construction outside that window requires an after-hours construction approval from the Apex Building Inspector.
Apex Construction Hours
Some RestrictionsBarking Dogs
Apex regulates animal noise through two parallel provisions: Chapter 4 (Animals) makes it unlawful for any dog owner to keep a dog that 'habitually or repeatedly barks' in such a manner that it is a public nuisance, and Sec. 14-33 of the noise ordinance separately prohibits 'the keeping of any animal or bird which by causing frequent or long continued noise shall disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity.' Field response is shared between Apex Police and Wake County Animal Services.
Apex Barking Dogs and Animal Noise
Some RestrictionsLeaf Blower Rules
Apex does not publish a leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Use of gas-powered and electric leaf blowers is governed by the general dB(A) cap of Sec. 14-31 (Table 1 limits at the property line) and, when used during the restricted construction window, by Sec. 14-33(7); there is no codified day-of-week ban, no gas-blower prohibition, and no leaf-blower-specific decibel limit beyond the Table 1 caps.
Apex Leaf Blower Rules
Few RestrictionsAmplified Music & Events
Apex Town Code Sec. 14-33 makes it unlawful to use or operate on or over any street within the town any radio, phonograph, mechanical loudspeaker, or other sound-magnifying device at a level greater than 55 dB(A) measured at 20 feet from the device. Indoor amplified music and on-private-property events are subject to the general Sec. 14-31 Table 1 dB(A) limits at the property line and the Sec. 14-33 list of prohibited noises.
Apex Amplified Music and Sound-Magnifying Devices
Heavy RestrictionsAircraft Noise
Aircraft-in-flight noise is preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Apex does not operate an airport and does not regulate aircraft noise; the nearest commercial facility is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), located approximately 15 miles north of Apex and operated by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. Aircraft noise complaints route to the RDU Noise Office, not to Apex.
Apex Aircraft Noise (RDU International Airport)
Few RestrictionsIndustrial Noise
Industrial noise in Apex is regulated through the Sec. 14-31 sound-emission standard (Table 1 dB(A) caps measured at least 10 ft inside the complainant's property boundary), combined with the Apex Unified Development Ordinance's district performance standards, buffer-yard requirements, and conditional-use conditions imposed by the Town Council and Planning Board on industrial sites in the LI (Light Industrial) and TF (Tech/Flex) zoning districts.
Apex Industrial Noise
Some RestrictionsDecibel Limits
Apex DOES publish a numeric dB(A) cap. Sec. 14-31 of the Town Code (Chapter 14, Article III) makes it unlawful for sound to exceed the maximum dB(A) limits in Table 1 for more than ten percent of any measuring period (defined as 100 consecutive ten-second readings), with separate daytime and nighttime caps based on the zoning of the receiving property. Sec. 14-30 requires measurement at least 10 ft inside the complainant's property boundary. Sec. 14-33 also imposes a separate 55 dB(A)-at-20-ft cap for amplified sound used over any town street.
Apex Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsOutdoor Music
Outdoor music at Apex venues - downtown North Salem Street, Apex Community Park, Salem Pond Park, and other town-managed spaces - is regulated by the Sec. 14-31 property-line dB(A) cap and the Sec. 14-33 55-dB(A)-at-20-ft limit for sound-magnifying devices used on or over any town street. Major outdoor events (Peakfest, Halloween downtown, holiday market, summer concert series) operate under Town-issued special-event permits administered through the Town Council's special-event process.
Apex Outdoor Music and Downtown Events
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Wake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Apex city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Wake County →