5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Wake County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Wake County Code Sec. 92.03 makes it unlawful to cause or allow unreasonable noise in unincorporated Wake County. Daytime hours run 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and nighttime hours run 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The "plainly audible to a reasonable person" standard governs, with Sec. 92.05 listing specific prohibited noises.
Wake County Code Sec. 92.05 prohibits plainly audible unreasonable construction noise in residential or business districts during nighttime hours (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). Exceptions exist when the site is more than 1,000 feet from the nearest dwelling/business, with written neighbor permission, or where the work must be continuous.
Wake County Code Sec. 91.08(B)(4) makes it unlawful to allow an animal to bark, whine, howl or yowl in an excessive, continuous or untimely fashion that seriously annoys neighbors. Sec. 92.05(O) of the noise chapter separately prohibits frequent or long-continued unreasonable animal noise that disturbs a reasonable person.
Wake County, NC has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Under Code § 92.04 (Chapter 92 — Noise), "lawn care equipment and agricultural activities" are exempt from the general noise prohibition during "daytime hours," defined in § 92.02 as 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. local time. Running a leaf blower between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in unincorporated Wake County is a citable § 92.03 violation. The chapter applies only to unincorporated areas — Raleigh, Cary and other towns set their own rules.
Wake County Code Chapter 92 directly regulates amplified music. Section 92.02 defines a "sound-magnifying device" to include any amplifier, stereo, speaker, musical instrument, radio or TV. Section 92.05 prohibits playing any such device during nighttime hours (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) in a manner that would annoy a reasonable person in any nearby dwelling. Outdoor parties, weddings, and amplified-music events in unincorporated Wake County must wind down by 11:00 p.m. The rule applies only to unincorporated areas — Raleigh, Cary and other towns have separate (often stricter) amplified-sound rules.
3 cities in Wake County have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Wake County Ordinance Hub →