Surry County, NC Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Surry 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
- Quiet hours
- 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Truck-mounted speakers
- banned except auctions
- First offense
- $100 civil penalty
- Repeat within 1 year
- $300 civil penalty
- Exempt
- county-authorized street fairs/festivals
- Variance
- available via Board of Commissioners, § 132.03
Summary
Playing a radio, TV, instrument or amplifier loudly enough to disturb a neighbor, especially between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., violates § 132.01(B)(2). Commercial loud speakers or amplifiers mounted on trucks or vehicles for advertising are banned outright under § 132.01(B)(5), except for auctions during normal business hours.
(2) Music and voice transmission. The playing of any radio, television, phonograph, tape or CD player or any musical instrument or appliance (amplified or otherwise) in such manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities residing in any dwelling, hotel or any other type of residence; ... (5) Loud speakers or amplifiers. Except for auctions during normal business hours, commercial use of mechanical loud speakers or amplifiers on trucks, or other vehicles, for advertising or other commercial purpose is prohibited;
Full Breakdown
Section 132.01(B)(2), music and voice transmission, makes it a loud and disturbing noise violation to play any radio, television, phonograph, tape or CD player, or any musical instrument or appliance, amplified or not, in a manner or at a volume that annoys or disturbs a reasonable person's quiet, comfort or repose in any dwelling, hotel or other residence, particularly between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Section 132.01(B)(5) separately bans commercial use of mechanical loud speakers or amplifiers mounted on trucks or other vehicles for advertising or other commercial purposes, with the sole exception of auctions conducted during normal business hours.
Section 132.02 layers on exceptions: unamplified or amplified sound at street fairs, festivals or other outdoor events the county itself authorizes or conducts is exempt, and an ongoing business's preexisting noise is grandfathered unless it falls within the music-and-voice-transmission category, in which case the grandfather clause does not apply between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. either. A business or individual who believes a planned use would run afoul of the chapter can seek a variance hearing before the Board of Commissioners under § 132.03. Enforcement and penalties follow § 132.99's general schedule of civil citations and misdemeanor warrants.
Violations & Fines
Amplified or unamplified music, voice or appliance noise disturbing a neighbor's residence, especially between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., or any commercial truck-mounted loud speaker used for advertising outside an auction during business hours, draws a $100 civil penalty for a first offense and $300 for a repeat within one year under § 132.99, with a misdemeanor warrant available as an alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is playing music loudly at night a violation in Surry County?
Can a business use a loudspeaker truck to advertise?
Is a long-running business's music exempt as a preexisting use?
Can a business seek permission to exceed the noise limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Surry County
Compare Surry County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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