Noise Ordinances in Burlington, NC (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Burlington, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Burlington's nighttime noise curfew, City Code § 22-72(a)(1), bars playing a radio, phonograph or musical instrument loud enough to be heard fifty feet away between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. near any residence, hotel or dwelling. A first violation is a $150 civil penalty, climbing to $250 and $500 for repeats within a year.
Burlington NC Nighttime Noise Curfew Rules
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-72(a)(1)
(a)The following acts are declared to be unreasonably loud and disturbing noises to a person of normal sensibilities in violation of this section. The enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive, namely:(1)The playing of any radio, phonograph or any musical instrument in such a manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., as to annoy or disturb...
Construction Hours
Burlington bans construction machinery, from bulldozers to pneumatic tools, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. in residential zones and within 300 feet of any occupied residence under City Code § 22-70(a)(2). Violators face a $150 civil penalty that climbs to $250 and $500 for repeat offenses within twelve months.
Burlington NC Construction Noise Hours Ban
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-70(a)(2)
(a)It shall be unlawful to carry on the following activities in any residentially zoned area of the city or within three hundred (300) feet of any residentially occupied structure in any zone of the city: ... (2)The operation of construction machinery between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.a."Construction machinery" shall include but not be limited to the use of the following:1.Air compre...
Barking Dogs
Burlington makes it unlawful for a barking or noisy animal to disturb neighbors for more than fifteen minutes in any thirty-minute period between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or more than five minutes overnight, under City Code § 22-71. A first offense gets a warning; a second within a year costs $200 and a third costs $350.
Burlington NC Barking Dog Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-71
(a)It shall be unlawful for the owner or person responsible to cause, allow or permit, either willfully or by failure to exercise due care, any animal which by its barking or making any other noise which by its volume or frequency unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace of any person(s) including but not limited to the following:(1)Between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., for m...
Leaf Blower Rules
Burlington bans lawn mowers and other domestic power tools used outdoors, including gas leaf blowers, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. in residential zones and within 300 feet of any occupied home under City Code § 22-70(a)(4). A first violation is a $150 civil penalty, rising to $250 and $500 for repeats within a year.
Burlington NC Leaf Blower & Lawn Tool Hours
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-70(a)(4)
(a)It shall be unlawful to carry on the following activities in any residentially zoned area of the city or within three hundred (300) feet of any residentially occupied structure in any zone of the city: ... (4)The operation of lawn mowers and other domestic tools out-of-doors between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. ... (b)Any mechanical noise other than that regulated in subsection (A) ...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
In the City of Burlington, North Carolina, § 22-68 caps amplified or mechanically produced sound measured at the property line: sixty decibels overnight from 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and seventy decibels during the day and evening, unless a city or state permit authorizes more. Civil penalties climb from $150 to $500 for repeat violations within a year.
Burlington Amplified Sound Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-68
(a)In addition to violations established in this article, no person shall cause, produce, or allow any mechanically or electronically produced or amplified sound that:(1)Exceeds the levels set out in this section as such sound is measured at any point beyond the boundary of the property from which the sound emanates and,(2)Is not authorized by a permit issued pursuant to City Code or state auth...
Aircraft Noise
In the City of Burlington, North Carolina, the city's noise ordinance carves out an exception for properly equipped aircraft: § 22-68(d)(5) exempts sounds from their normal operation, model aircraft excluded, from the property-line decibel limits that otherwise apply to amplified and mechanical sound under § 22-68.
Burlington Aircraft Noise Exemption
Few RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-68(d)(5)
(d)Exceptions. The following sounds shall be exempt from the provisions of this article: ... (5)Sounds emanating from the normal operations of properly equipped aircraft (not including model aircraft).
Vehicle Noise
Burlington bars motor-vehicle noise under City Code § 22-69: car stereos audible more than 30 feet away, tampered mufflers, and jackrabbit starts or racing are all unlawful. A first violation carries a $150 civil penalty, rising to $250 and $500 for repeat offenses within twelve months, enforced by Burlington police under the reasonable-person noise standard.
Burlington NC Vehicle Noise, Stereo & Muffler Rules
Some RestrictionsBurlington City Code § 22-69
(2)Sound-producing equipment in vehicles. Playing any radio, tape recorder, cassette player, compact disc, or other similar device for reproducing sound located on, or in, any motor vehicle on a public street, highway, or within, the motor vehicular area of any public or private parking lot or park, or drive through, if the sound generated is audible at a distance of thirty (30) feet from the s...
Looking for Alamance County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Burlington city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Alamance County →