Brunswick County, NC Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Brunswick County, NC, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Governing section
- Code § 1-9-563(5)
- Test used
- 'Plainly audible' on affected property
- First-offense penalty
- $300.00 civil penalty
- Repeat penalty
- $500.00 within 12 months
- Enforcement agency
- Brunswick County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Brunswick County bars loudspeakers, public address systems, mobile sound trucks, and similar amplified sound equipment from being plainly audible on a neighboring property, or through shared walls between units, from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Code Section 1-9-563(5) sets the curfew; the Sheriff's Office enforces it countywide, outside the incorporated towns.
(5)Loudspeakers, public address systems and sound trucks. Using, operating or permitting the operation of any loudspeaker, public address system, mobile sound vehicle or similar device amplifying sound therefrom for any purpose in such a manner as to permit sound to be plainly audible within an affected property, or through partitions common to two (2) dwelling units within a building between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
m. 'Affected property' is defined broadly in Section 1-9-562 to include not just neighboring homes but hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hotels, motels, tents, and recreational vehicles where the sound is plainly audible with windows and doors closed. curfew and 'plainly audible' test apply to Section 1-9-563(4)'s companion rule for radios, televisions, and sound reproduction devices, and Section 1-9-563(6)'s rule against yelling, shouting, and singing. Certain amplified sound is exempted from the curfew under Section 1-9-565, including non-amplified crowd noise from school, government, or community events, noise from organized school athletic events, and noise tied to a community celebration of a national, state, or county event or public festival.
The ordinance applies only within unincorporated Brunswick County; Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash, and Boiling Spring Lakes each enforce their own noise ordinances inside town limits.
Violations & Fines
A loudspeaker, PA system, or sound truck plainly audible on an affected property between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. violates Section 1-9-563(5). Under Section 1-9-567, the Sheriff's Office can issue a citation carrying a $300.00 civil penalty for a first offense and $500.00 for a repeat offense within twelve months, payable within seventy-two hours, with a Class 3 misdemeanor charge available under G.S. § 14-4 for continued violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run outdoor speakers for a party in unincorporated Brunswick County?
Are community festivals exempt from the noise curfew?
Who do I call to report a noise violation in Brunswick County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brunswick County
Compare Brunswick County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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