Carteret County, NC Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Section 10-1(b)(2) of the Carteret County Code lists 'the sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle while not in motion' as a prohibited noise source, unless it is used as a genuine danger signal because another vehicle appears to be approaching out of control. A parked car's factory or aftermarket alarm system falls within 'signal device,' so a horn or siren that repeatedly sounds off while the vehicle sits still in a driveway, parking lot or on a public street can trigger the same enforcement the county uses for any other prohibited noise source.

To count as a violation, § 10-1(c) requires the noise be detrimental to a person of normal hearing at a distance greater than 50 feet from the vehicle, with the county paying particular attention to noise created between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Before deputies write a citation, § 10-1(e)(1) requires that a law enforcement officer first warn the vehicle's owner or operator and give an opportunity to silence the alarm or correct the problem; only continued or repeated triggering after that warning exposes the owner to criminal or civil penalties. The ordinance was adopted under the state's general county noise authority, G.S. 153A-133.