Mebane, NC Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Section 14-125(7) covers loudspeakers, public address systems and amplifiers citywide: it's unlawful to speak into one adjusted so the amplified voice annoys the public or disturbs the rest and quiet of neighboring residents. Section 14-125(2) separately reaches "any radio, television set, record player, stereo or other sound reproduction system, musical instrument or sound-producing or sound-amplifying device" played at a volume that disturbs "any person of normal sensibilities in the vicinity," so a backyard party speaker or a band practicing in a garage is covered the same way a bullhorn is.

Neither clause sets a decibel number; § 14-122 defines "unreasonably loud" as noise substantially incompatible with the time and place it's created, and § 14-123 lists the factors an officer weighs on a complaint: time of day, proximity to residential structures, volume and intensity, whether the sound is mechanically amplified, the character and zoning of the area, whether it's connected to a business's normal operation, and whether the source could reasonably control it. Enforcement follows § 14-124: the city may issue a misdemeanor warrant under the general penalty in § 1-6, or a civil citation carrying a $50.00 per day penalty due within ten days, with an added $50.00 delinquency charge if it isn't paid on time.