Greensboro, NC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Greensboro, NC, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Residential quiet window
- 6:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.
- Other districts quiet window
- 10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.
- First violation
- Warning notice
- Repeat civil penalty
- $200-$500
- Enforcement
- Chief of police / designee
Summary
Greensboro bars construction noise in residential districts between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and in all other districts between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. City Code § 18-50(h) treats erection, demolition, alteration, excavation and grading noise in those hours as an unlawful disturbing sound.
(h)Building operations. Erection, demolition, alteration, or repair of any building (including excavation and grading), in a residential district between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of any day or in any district other than a residential district between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of any day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 132).
Full Breakdown
Section 18-50(h) of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances lists "Building operations" among the acts "declared to be unreasonably loud and disturbing" under the city's noise article. m. Outside those hours, construction noise does not violate this subsection, though it can still be cited under the general "unreasonably loud or disturbing" standard in § 18-49 if it meets the factors listed there (time of day, proximity to residences, volume, and zoning). The chief of police has primary enforcement responsibility under § 18-55, and officers may issue citations; arrest is reserved for refusal to identify, refusal to stop, or interference with the officer.
, Monday through Saturday, but it does not extend the private building-operations hours in § 18-50(h). Emergency repair work necessary to protect persons or property, or utility restoration work, is separately exempted under § 18-54(a) regardless of the hour.
Violations & Fines
Under § 18-58, the city issues a warning for a first noise violation, a $200 civil penalty for a second, $350 for a third, and $500 for more than three violations (or two within one year). The city can also seek injunctive relief or abatement against a person who willfully commits three or more violations in a year. A cited party may request a nonjudicial administrative hearing with the chief of police within 30 days of notification; the hearing officer's decision is reviewable only in Guilford County Superior Court by certiorari under § 18-58.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a contractor work past 6 p.m. in a Greensboro neighborhood?
Are the hours different for commercial construction sites?
What happens the first time a builder gets reported for after-hours noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greensboro
How Greensboro compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Greensboro to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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Construction Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle construction hours.