10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Cumberland County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
In Fayetteville, unreasonably loud noise within 100 yards of a home is prohibited 10 p.m.-7 a.m., and residential sound may not exceed 55 dB(A) overnight (60 dB(A) daytime). Cumberland County sets parallel limits for unincorporated areas near Fort Liberty.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(17)
Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the creation of any unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise in the city between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following morning within 100 yards of a dwelling unit, house, trailer or other building ordinarily occupied by another person...is prohibited.
Construction, drilling and demolition tools may not run 9 p.m.-6 a.m. on weekdays, or 9 p.m.-9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, within 50 yards of any residential area or noise-sensitive zone in Fayetteville. Emergency and permitted work is exempt.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(6)
Operating or causing the operation of any tools used in construction, drilling, repair, alteration, or demolition work between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends or holidays in or within 50 yards of any residential area or noise sensitive zone, except for emergency work.
Fayetteville prohibits keeping any animal or bird that, by frequent or long-continued noise, unreasonably disturbs neighbors. Cumberland County Animal Control separately handles habitual barking complaints in unincorporated areas under Code Chapter 3.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(19)(c)
Pets. The keeping of any animal or bird, which by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall unreasonably disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity.
Fayetteville treats leaf blowers as powered lawn/garden tools: they may not run 10 p.m.-6 a.m. on weekdays or 10 p.m.-7 a.m. on weekends and holidays near residential property. Neither the city nor Cumberland County bans gas leaf blowers.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(11)
Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered saw, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tool, or similar tool between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, or 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays, unless such equipment is operated inside a building or other structure.
Loudspeakers and amplified sound are prohibited 10 p.m.-7 a.m. weekdays and 10 p.m.-10 a.m. weekends/holidays near residential or commercial areas, except with a police special permit. Radios and instruments face the same nighttime limits.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(2)
Using or operating for any purpose any loudspeaker, loudspeaker system, or similar device between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays in areas within or adjacent to residential, commercial, or noise sensitive areas.
Normal aircraft operations and noise from Fayetteville Regional Airport's NEF zones are exempt from the city noise ordinance. Fort Liberty (federal) military aviation is governed by the U.S. Army and FAA, not county rules. Model aircraft are not exempt.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-12(8)
All noises coming from the normal operations of aircraft, not including scale model aircraft, and all noises emanating from the Fayetteville Municipal Airport property within the NEF (Noise Exposure Forecast) zones as established by a survey dated April 1977, and maintained in the office of the airport director.
Industrial and agricultural properties may not exceed 75 dB(A) at the property line at any time (65/60 dB(A) commercial). Nighttime loading and unloading near homes is restricted 7 p.m.-6 a.m. on weekdays.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-11(5)
Loading and unloading, opening, closing or other handling of boxes, crates, containers, equipment, building materials, garbage cans, or similar objects between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekends or holidays in or within 50 yards of residential area or noise sensitive zone.
Fayetteville limits sound at the property line to 60 dB(A) daytime / 55 dB(A) night in residential zones, 65/60 dB(A) commercial, and 75 dB(A) in industrial areas. Cumberland County uses the same use-occupancy table.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-10(a)
No person shall operate or cause to be operated any source of sound from any occupancy in such a manner as to create a sound level which exceeds the limits set forth for the use occupancy category in Table 1 or Table 2 of this section.
Outdoor amplified entertainment needs a police special permit; permitted public functions may run only 9 a.m.-midnight and may exceed normal limits by up to 15 dB(A). Without a permit, loudspeaker nighttime limits apply.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-14(2)
Permits may be granted for the purpose of entertainment under the following conditions: a. The function must be open to the public; admission may be charged...c. The function must be staged between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight.
Every vehicle must have a working muffler free of defects, with no cut-out or bypass. Fayetteville also caps vehicle noise, measured 25 feet from the lane, and prohibits unnecessary horn use and loud, rattling operation.
Fayetteville City Code Sec. 17-13(c)
No person shall operate or cause to be operated any motor vehicle unless the exhaust system of such vehicle is: 1. Free from defects which affect sound reduction; 2. Equipped with a muffler or other noise dissipative device; and 3. Not equipped with any cut-out, bypass or similar device.
1 cities in Cumberland County have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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