Rock Hill, SC Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

City Code § 20-162(18) sets Rock Hill's core numeric noise standard: 'in any residentially zoned area or within 300 feet of any residentially occupied structure in any zone, the noise resulting from any activity, whether open or enclosed, shall not exceed 60 decibels at any point on or beyond the lot line,' measured on the A-weighting scale with a Type 2 sound level meter. The same subsection then lists exceptions to that cap, and item (f) removes aircraft outright: 'sound produced by aircraft in flight or in operation at an airport, or railroad equipment in operation on railroad rights-of-way' is exempt.

That means a resident near the flight path cannot use Rock Hill's decibel standard against aircraft noise the way they could against a neighbor's amplified stereo or a construction crew running past the exempted hours. The general nuisance-noise prohibition in § 20-161, which bars noise that 'disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others,' technically still exists, but the specific aircraft carve-out in § 20-162(18)(f) signals the city does not intend to regulate flight or airport operations noise locally, deferring instead to FAA airspace authority and airport administration.