Florence County, SC Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Florence County Code § 18-1(b)(10) targets appliances and other mechanical devices: the operation of any noise-producing appliance or mechanical device that, due to operational deficiencies, malfunction or other disrepair, causes loud or excessive noise in a manner that unreasonably annoys the public or disturbs the rest and quiet of persons on adjacent premises is prohibited. In unincorporated Florence County this covers portable and standby generators, along with other mechanical equipment such as compressors, whose noise stems from a defect or breakdown rather than merely from running as designed.

The provision sits inside § 18-1's broader ban on any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise, defined in subsection (a) as noise detrimental to health or that disturbs the quiet and peace of any citizen. Subsection (c) exempts lawfully permitted parades, performances, manufacturing operations recognized by the South Carolina Tax Commission, and lawfully permitted vehicle races, and subsection (d) excuses noise made during emergency work needed for the immediate safety, health or welfare of the community or to restore property following a calamity, so a generator running during a storm-related power outage for emergency repairs is not automatically a violation.

The Florence County Sheriff's Department is designated under subsection (e) as the agency responsible for enforcing the noise article, though a resident may also seek enforcement directly through the magistrate's court. 00, imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both, per subsection (f), and Ordinance No. 9-93/94, adopted October 21, 1993, is the enacting ordinance codified at this section.