Noise Ordinances in Charleston, SC (2026)
5 verified noise ordinances for Charleston, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Construction Hours
Charleston limits loud construction equipment to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Section 21-17 bars pile drivers, excavators, backhoes, pneumatic hammers, and similar power equipment outside those hours, and forbids all loud construction work on Sundays and six named city holidays.
Charleston Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsCharleston City Code § 21-17(a)
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to use or cause the use of any mechanical equipment or tool operated by fuel or electric power in the building, construction, repair, renovation, or demolition operations, including, but not limited to, pile drivers, excavators, backhoes, pneumatic hammers, derricks, cranes, steam or electric hoists, the use of which causes loud and repetitive noises in th...
Barking Dogs
Charleston prohibits owning or keeping a dog that barks or howls so much it disturbs the neighborhood's peace, under City Code § 5-18. The code defines "excessive noise" for animals as sound that occurs consistently and exceeds 20 minutes.
Charleston Barking Dog Nuisance Law
Some RestrictionsCity Code § 5-18
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, possess, harbor, control, or keep on any premises any dog that barks or howls so as to cause excessive noise as defined in section 5-1, which disturbs the peace of the neighborhood.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Charleston bans amplified music in privately owned courtyards and outdoor areas after 11 p.m. and before 7 a.m. if it can be heard from a public street. Unamplified instruments in the same spaces face a later midnight-to-7-a.m. cutoff, and brass or drum instruments are singled out for the tighter 11 p.m. limit either way.
Charleston Amplified Sound Curfew
Some RestrictionsCharleston City Code § 21-16(f), (g)
(f) It shall be unlawful for any person, entity or establishment to play, operate or cause to be played or operated, any radio, amplified musical instrument including but not limited to brass or drum instruments or the amplified device or apparatus making or reproducing musical or other sounds within a privately owned or controlled courtyard or outdoor area after 11:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m....
Decibel Limits
Charleston's zoning code sets a hard numeric noise ceiling only for certain LI and Upper Peninsula district manufacturing conditional uses: no more than 67 decibels (dBA) at lot lines touching residential zones, or 72 dBA at lot lines touching non-residential zones, measured at least 1,000 feet from roads and rail lines under Section 54-207(i)(3)(a).
Charleston's 67/72 dBA Manufacturing Noise Cap
Some RestrictionsCharleston Zoning Ordinance § 54-207(i)(3)(a)
3.Within the LI and UP districts, Principal Use categories 26, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, and 7692, shall be permitted if the Zoning Administration finds that the use meets the following Performance Standards:a)A total ambient noise level of no more than 67 decibels (dBA) is created at all external lot lines adjacent to residential zoning districts or 72 decibels at all external lot lines ...
Vehicle Noise
City Code § 21-16(c) makes it unlawful to operate a motorized vehicle, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and mopeds, in a manner that emits loud, unnecessary, or long-continued noise disturbing the peace and quiet of the city, whether on a public street or private property. The prohibition specifically names rapid throttle advancing, or revving, of an internal combustion engine as a covered violation.
Charleston Bans Vehicle Revving and Loud Exhaust
Some RestrictionsCharleston, S.C. Code of Ordinances § 21-16(c)
It shall be unlawful for any person to ride, drive, propel or otherwise operate a motorized vehicle in a manner which emits loud and unnecessary noise or long continued noise, either in the day time or at night, which disturbs the peace and quiet of the city, whether in the public street or on private property, or within enclosures, public or private. The prohibitions of this subsection shall i...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Charleston city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Charleston County →