Mount Pleasant, SC Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Mount Pleasant Code § 132.03(A), (E)(2)
- Test used
- Rhythmic, bass-reverberating beat = plainly audible
- Where it counts
- Audible inside a neighboring residence/business
- Applies
- Any hour, day or night
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine and/or 30 days jail
- Enforcing agency
- Mount Pleasant Police Department
Summary
In the Town of Mount Pleasant, thumping bass counts as noise the moment it can be heard outside its source. Town Code § 132.03(A) singles out rhythmic, bass-reverberating sound for a lower bar than ordinary noise: detecting the beat itself is enough to make it 'plainly audible' and unlawful under § 132.03(E)(2), no decibel meter required.
PLAINLY AUDIBLE. Able to be clearly heard by a person of normal sensibilities using only unaided auditory senses. PLAINLY AUDIBLE shall refer to a sound heard at a volume level above that of normal conversation, and shall not include sounds that are just barely audible. With respect to music and amplified sounds, the detection of rhythmic, base-reverberating-type sound, beat or cadence shall be deemed PLAINLY AUDIBLE. ... (2) Radios, televisions, musical instruments, and similar devices. The operating or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, musical instrument or similar device that produces or reproduces sound in a manner as to be plainly audible from inside any residence or place of business other than the sound source.
Full Breakdown
Mount Pleasant Town Council wrote a special test into its noise ordinance just for bass. ' That means a Mount Pleasant Police Department officer does not need a sound level meter reading to write a citation for a bass complaint; hearing the beat from inside a neighboring residence or place of business is enough on its own. 03(E)(2) makes it unlawful to operate a radio, television, phonograph, musical instrument, or similar device so that it is plainly audible from inside any residence or place of business other than the one playing it.
This bass standard applies at any hour, layered on top of the separate numeric daytime/evening decibel caps in division (C). Officers can still take a property-line sound level reading under division (B) if they choose, but a plainly-audible bass beat by itself supports a citation. 03 can apply to a single complaint. Violations fall under the penalty set out in division (H).
Violations & Fines
Violating § 132.03, including the bass 'plainly audible' standard, is punishable under § 132.03(H) by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both, capped at whatever penalty state law sets for a similar offense. Each day a bass noise violation continues is treated as a separate offense, so a recurring complaint can draw repeated citations from the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a bass complaint in Mount Pleasant require a decibel reading?
What is the penalty for a bass noise violation in Mount Pleasant?
Is bass noise only restricted at night in Mount Pleasant?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Pleasant
Compare Mount Pleasant to another location·View the South Carolina noise from specific sources overview
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