Craven County, NC Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Section 24-22(b)(10) of the Craven County noise article addresses engine exhausts. It bars the discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, gasoline engine, stationary internal combustion engine, or other kind of engine, motorboat or motor vehicle, except through a muffler or other device that will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises. A portable or standby generator is a stationary internal combustion engine for purposes of this subsection, so it must vent through an effective muffler rather than run unmuffled. window; it applies at any time the exhaust noise is unmuffled.

A generator's noise can also fall under the general noise-disturbance ban in Section 24-22(a) if it endangers health, or annoys or disturbs a reasonable person, at any hour. Section 24-23 exempts emergency work and equipment used to alert people to an emergency, so a generator run during a power outage for safety purposes is not automatically a violation. The Sheriff's Office enforces the article under Section 24-21 and may investigate a complaint or inspect the source with consent or a warrant. § 14-4, added to the general penalty in Sections 1-11 and 1-12 of the Code of Ordinances.