Lancaster County, SC Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption
- Airports and aircraft noise
- Statute
- Sec. 23-23(2)
- Time limit on exemption
- None (unlike construction exemption)
- Also exempt in same clause
- Railways, parades, school events
- General noise ban exempted from
- Sec. 23-21 and Sec. 23-22
Summary
Airports and aircraft are exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ordinance. Sec. 23-23(2) carves out noise from governmental activities, airports and aircraft, railways, emergency signal devices, parades, carnivals and school- or government-sponsored events, so flight and airport noise cannot be cited as a nuisance under Sec. 23-22.
This article shall not apply to: ... (2)Noise emanating from governmental activities, airports and aircraft, railways, emergency signal devices, parades, carnivals, school band practice and performances, school or government sponsored events, or similar activities.
Full Breakdown
Lancaster County's general noise ordinance, Sec. 23-21 through Sec. 23-24, bans any excessive noise that disturbs the peace or annoys a reasonable person in the unincorporated county. Sec. 23-23 lists categories the article does not reach, and item (2) exempts noise emanating from governmental activities, airports and aircraft, railways, emergency signal devices, parades, carnivals, school band practice and performances, school or government sponsored events, or similar activities. That means the county's noise-nuisance standard in Sec. 23-21, which otherwise weighs intensity, duration, the time of day and the character of the surrounding area, cannot be used to cite noise generated by an airport or an aircraft operating in or over the unincorporated county.
The same exemption sentence also shields railway noise, emergency signal devices, parades, carnivals and school- or government-sponsored events, placing airport and aircraft noise in the same protected category as those public and safety-related activities. Enforcement of Article II generally falls to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office under Sec. 23-24, but that authority does not extend to airport or aircraft noise because Sec. 23-23(2) removes it from the article's coverage in the first place.
Violations & Fines
Because Sec. 23-23(2) exempts airports and aircraft, noise from flight operations cannot support a misdemeanor citation under Sec. 23-22 or the penalty scale in Sec. 23-24, regardless of intensity or the hour it occurs; the exemption applies without qualification, unlike the construction exemption in Sec. 23-23(4), which is limited to daytime hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complain to the county about airport or aircraft noise?
Is the aircraft exemption limited to certain hours?
What else is exempt alongside aircraft noise?
Does this mean the county has no authority over its own airport's noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster County
Compare Lancaster County to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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