Burlington, NC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

City Code § 22-70(a) bars a long list of noise-producing activities in any residentially zoned area of Burlington, North Carolina, or within three hundred feet of any residentially occupied structure in any zoning district. Subsection (a)(2) singles out 'construction machinery' between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., and the code defines that term broadly: air compressors, pile drivers, sledgehammers, bulldozers, front-end loaders and backhoes, cranes, steam or electric hoists, off-road construction vehicles, pumps, pneumatic tools, blasting equipment, power tools, tunneling machines, and any device with an internal combustion engine or that emits impulsive sound or vibration.

A separate catch-all in subsection (b) makes any other mechanical noise a violation if it is unreasonably loud under the reasonable-person standard or measures more than seventy decibels at the nearest complaining property line. The hours-based ban does not apply to emergency work protecting public health and safety, or to state or city crews and their contractors working in a right-of-way or utility easement. Enforcement tracks the rest of article V: a first citation carries a $150 civil penalty, a second within twelve months is $250, and a third within that window is $500, plus a $25 late fee if payment misses the ten-day window set by the city tax collector's office.

A fourth violation within twelve months, or refusing to identify yourself to an officer, is a Class 3 misdemeanor carrying up to a $100 fine or thirty days in jail under G.S. §§ 14-4 and 160A-175. Property owners and contractors can request a nonjudicial hearing with the city manager's designee to appeal a civil penalty.