Noise Ordinances in Simpsonville, SC (2026)
10 verified noise ordinances for Simpsonville, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Simpsonville's noise code sets nighttime as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. EDT), when noise limits tighten and interior amplified-sound limits drop to 55 dB(A). Any noise substantially interfering with a neighbor's comfort is an unlawful nuisance day or night.
Simpsonville Nighttime Quiet Hours (10 p.m.–7 a.m.)
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-81
Night and nighttime means the period between the hours of 10:00 p.m. (11:00 p.m. EDT) one calendar day and 7:00 a.m. the following calendar day. Day and daytime means the period between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (11:00 p.m. EDT) of the same calendar day.
Construction Hours
Construction machinery, heavy equipment and power tools are exempt from Simpsonville's noise rules when operated during daytime hours (7 a.m.–10 p.m.). Operating them at night is prohibited unless the city administrator issues a special permit under Sec. 18-87.
Construction Noise Allowed by Day, Permit Needed at Night
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-84(a)(8)
When operated at night, construction machinery, heavy duty equipment used in street repair and maintenance and domestic and commercial power tools, unless a permit is obtained.
Barking Dogs
Simpsonville Sec. 18-84(b)(1) makes it a nuisance to keep any animal, including a bird, that causes frequent or long-continued noise such as barking, howling or screeching that disturbs a neighbor of ordinary sensibilities. No decibel level is needed to prove the violation.
Barking Dogs Are a Prohibited Noise Nuisance
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-84(b)(1)
To keep any animal, including a bird, causing a frequent or long continued noise, such as barking, howling or screeching, disturbing the comfort and repose of any person of ordinary sensibilities in the immediate vicinity.
Leaf Blower Rules
Simpsonville has no leaf-blower-specific ban, but blowers fall under 'domestic yard equipment' and power tools. These are exempt by day (7 a.m.–10 p.m.); at night the Sec. 18-90 chart requires a permit, so nighttime blowing is effectively prohibited.
Leaf Blowers and Yard Equipment: Daytime Only
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-90(d)
Construction machinery, sanitation or solid waste pickup, lawn mowers, domestic yard equipment and power tools — Day outside 80 [City at Large] / 85 [CBD]; Night outside * [* Permit required].
Amplified Music & Events
Simpsonville's noise code names loudspeakers, amplifiers, stereos and 'other devices which enhance or influence the level of sound' as nuisance-capable. The Sec. 18-90 chart caps radios and amplified sound at 70 dB(A) outside by day and 65 dB(A) outside at night citywide.
Amplified Sound Capped at 55–70 dB(A)
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-84(a)(3)
Loudspeakers, amplifiers or other devices which enhance or influence the level of sound in any way.
Aircraft Noise
Simpsonville's noise code expressly exempts 'aircraft in flight or in operation at an airport,' provided applicable federal regulations are met. Aircraft noise is governed by the FAA, not city ordinance, so the city sets no local aircraft-noise limit.
Aircraft Noise Is Exempt (Federal Preemption)
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-85(5)
The sound produced by the following, provided there is compliance with any federal regulations applicable to the noise: (i) Aircraft in flight or in operation at an airport; (ii) Railroad equipment in operation on railroad rights-of-way.
Industrial Noise
Simpsonville has no separate industrial-noise decibel schedule; industrial equipment is governed by the general noise code. Pneumatic drills, jackhammers and compressed-air tools are expressly named as nuisance-capable devices, and zoning of the area is weighed in enforcement.
Industrial and Mechanical Noise
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-84(a)(4)
Mechanical devices operating by compressed air, such as pneumatic drills and jackhammers.
Decibel Limits
Simpsonville sets prima facie decibel guidelines in Sec. 18-90. For radios and amplified sound citywide: 70 dB(A) day outside, 65 night outside. Yard/construction equipment: 80 dB(A) day outside. Levels are A-weighted; exceeding them establishes a rebuttable violation.
Simpsonville's dB(A) Noise Limit Chart
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-90(d)
Radios, musical instruments, amplified sounds, stereos and like devices — Day inside 60/65; Day outside 70/60; Night inside 55/60; Night outside 65/75 (City at Large / Central Business District), measured in decibels A-weighted, dB(A).
Outdoor Music
Outdoor musical instruments and amplified performances fall under Simpsonville's noise chart (70 dB(A) day outside, 65 at night citywide). The downtown Central Business District (C-1) gets higher tolerance under Sec. 18-89, and permitted events are exempt under Sec. 18-87.
Outdoor Music and Downtown Entertainment Rules
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-87(a)
Whenever the city administrator or his designee issues on a temporary basis special permits for events of an entertainment or recreational nature which are held in the central business district, parks, public buildings or elsewhere, then those events shall be exempt from the prohibitions of this division.
Vehicle Noise
Simpsonville names 'motor vehicle exhausts without mufflers or with inefficient or ineffective mufflers' and loud horns, sirens or signal devices as nuisance noises. Lawfully operating vehicles on public streets are otherwise exempt, deferring to state motor-vehicle law.
Loud Exhausts and Vehicle Horns Prohibited
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville Code § 18-84(a)(6)
Motor vehicle exhausts without mufflers or with inefficient or ineffective mufflers.
Looking for Greenville County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Simpsonville city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Greenville County →