Craven County, NC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Craven County, NC, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Governing section
- Craven County Code § 24-22(b)(4)
- Enforcing agency
- Craven County Sheriff's Office
- Exempt
- Emergency construction or demolition work
- Noise-sensitive zone
- 200 feet of schools, churches, hospitals
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. § 14-4
Summary
Unincorporated Craven County bars construction and demolition tools between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the noise crosses a residential property line or reaches a noise-sensitive zone within 200 feet of a school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home. Emergency work is exempt. The Sheriff's Office enforces the noise article under Chapter 24.
(4)Construction and demolition. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction or demolition work between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or within a sensitive zone, except for emergency work; provided that this shall not apply to the use of domestic power tools subject to subsection (b)(12) of this section.
Full Breakdown
Section 24-22(b)(4) of the Craven County Code lists construction and demolition work among the specific acts the county deems unreasonably loud. the following day is prohibited whenever the sound crosses a residential real property boundary or reaches a noise-sensitive zone, defined in Section 24-20 as any area within 200 feet of a school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home. The prohibition exempts emergency work outright. window in subsection (b)(8). Section 24-23 layers on five general exceptions that apply to the whole noise article: sound emitted to warn of an emergency or during emergency work, activities covered by a permit issued by the Board of Commissioners, sound from domesticated animals or livestock, hunting conducted lawfully, and timbering, logging or agricultural activity conducted in accordance with applicable law.
The Sheriff or a deputy enforces the article under Section 24-21, with authority to inspect property with consent or a warrant and to stop and test any vehicle reasonably suspected of violating the noise rules. § 14-4, on top of the penalties in Sections 1-11 and 1-12 of the county code.
Violations & Fines
Running construction equipment after 11:00 p.m. or before 7:00 a.m. so it disturbs a neighbor's residential property or a nearby school, church, hospital, nursing home or funeral home violates Section 24-22(b)(4). The Sheriff's Office investigates complaints and can inspect a site with consent or a warrant. A violation is a misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. § 14-4, layered onto the general penalty in Sections 1-11 and 1-12 of the Code of Ordinances. Emergency work is not a violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run construction equipment at night in unincorporated Craven County?
Who enforces the construction-hours rule?
What happens if I violate the construction-hours limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Craven County
How Craven County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Craven County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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