Noise Ordinances in Granville County, NC (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Granville County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unincorporated Granville County bars loud or offensive noise from a garage or filling station in a residential district, and bars playing a piccolo, jukebox or other musical slot machine, under Code § 26-31(b)(17) and (b)(19). Both clauses sit inside the county's general Unnecessary Noise ordinance and share the same civil citation process as the rest of § 26-31.
Granville County Nighttime Quiet Hours Rule
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code § 26-31(b)(17), (19)
(17)The conducting, operating or maintaining of any garage or filling station in any residential district so as to cause loud or offensive noises to be emitted between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; ... (19)Playing or permitting to be played any piccolo, jukebox, or other musical mechanical slot machine between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; or
Construction Hours
Building, demolishing, altering, or excavating in a residential or business district in unincorporated Granville County is confined to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week, under Code § 26-31(b)(9). Work outside that window needs an emergency permit from the county building inspector, good for three days or less while the emergency continues, or it is a declared unnecessary noise violation.
Granville County Construction Noise Hours Rule
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code § 26-31(b)(9)
(9)The erection (including excavating), demolition, alteration or repair of any building in a residential or business district other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. seven days per week, except in the case of urgent necessity in the interest of public safety and then only with a permit from the county building inspector, which permit may be renewed for a period of three days or...
Barking Dogs
Keeping a dog, bird, or other animal that causes frequent or long-continued noise disturbing a neighbor's comfort and repose is a declared violation in unincorporated Granville County under Code § 26-31(b)(4). The ordinance does not require a specific number of barks or minutes; frequent or long-continued disturbance to a nearby resident is the standard, enforced through the county's civil citation process.
Granville County Animal Noise Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code § 26-31(b)(4)
(4)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;
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Mounting a loudspeaker or amplifier on a truck for advertising in unincorporated Granville County requires a sheriff's department license under Code § 26-31(b)(16), and sound trucks may run only three round trips between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. at 15 mph or faster with the speaker silent otherwise. Section (b)(18) separately bans amplified sound cast into the streets from any device, except Christmas or religious music.
Granville County Loudspeaker and Amplifier Limits
Significant RestrictionsGranville County Code § 26-31(b)(16), (18)
(16)The use of any mechanical loudspeakers or amplifiers on trucks or other moving vehicles for advertising or other purposes except where specific license is received from the sheriff's department; provided that advertising sound trucks may make not more than three continuous round trips in the fire district between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., on condition that the sound devices on ...
Aircraft Noise
Granville County has no decibel-based aircraft noise ordinance; instead the Land Development Code manages aircraft noise through zoning, requiring general aviation airports like Oxford-Henderson to submit a noise impact assessment mapping DNL noise contours from 50 to 75 DNL and to keep the 20-year 70-DNL line inside airport property.
Airport Noise Contour Rules in Granville County
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code § 32-221(d)
(d)General aviation airports shall meet the following requirements:(1)All such development shall be submitted with a noise impact assessment. The assessment shall identify the initial and 20-year projected DNL noise contour lines beginning with 50 DNL and proceeding to 75 DNL.(2)The 20-year, 70-DNL line shall lie completely within airport property or industrial use land that has been granted a ...
Decibel Limits
In unincorporated Granville County, continuous noise radiated from any facility or operation cannot exceed 65 DNL measured at the property line. County Code Sec. 32-384 applies to industrial, commercial and other permitted uses countywide, and treats intermittent, beat-frequency or shrill noise as a separate violation ground, not just raw decibel level.
Granville County 65 DNL Noise Limit
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code Sec. 32-384
(a)Noise shall be measured on any property line of the tract on which the operation is located. Noise shall be muffled so as not to become objectionable due to intermittence, beat frequency, shrillness or intensity. At the property line the sound pressure level of noise radiated continuously from a facility shall not exceed 65 DNL. ... (b)Measurement shall be with a sound level meter at the lot...
Vehicle Noise
Sounding a vehicle horn without a traffic-safety reason, driving an automobile or motorcycle so out of repair that it rattles or grinds loudly, or running a vehicle exhaust without an effective muffler are each declared unnecessary noise violations in unincorporated Granville County under Code § 26-31(b)(1), (5) and (7). None of the three needs a decibel reading; the vehicle's condition and how it is used decide the violation.
Granville County Vehicle Horn and Muffler Rule
Some RestrictionsGranville County Code § 26-31(b)(1), (5), (7)
(1)The sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle while not in motion, except as a danger signal, or if in motion only as a signal necessitated by traffic conditions; the creation by means of any such signal device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time; ... (5)The...
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