Catawba County, NC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Catawba 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
- Non-C/I zone hours
- 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., weekdays/Saturdays
- Construction equipment curfew
- Barred 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. countywide
- Exception
- Urgent necessity for public safety
- Section
- Code § 16-69(6), (13)
- First offense
- Class 3 misdemeanor
- Enforcement
- Sheriff's Office citation
Summary
Catawba County bars most building construction and demolition noise outside 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays in areas not zoned commercial or industrial, and separately bans running construction machinery anywhere between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Code Sec. 16-69(6) and (13).
(6)The excavation, erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building in any area not zoned for commercial or industrial use at any time other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, except in case of urgent necessity in the interest of public safety. ... (13)Operation of construction machinery or equipment between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Sec. on weekdays and Saturdays, unless the work is an urgent necessity for public safety; because the rule lists only weekday and Saturday hours, work in residential and other non-commercial zones has no Sunday window either. Sec. , closing the overnight gap subsection (6) alone would leave in commercial and industrial areas. S. 153A-133 and Sec. 16-66's grant of authority to the board of commissioners to regulate noise that disturbs residents' health and well-being. Sec. 16-68 supplies the underlying standard the specific hour limits reinforce: noise loud or disturbing enough to frighten, endanger or seriously disturb a person of ordinary sensibilities on other property.
Sec. 16-70 exempts scheduled school athletic events, warning devices, aircraft, emergency vehicles, county-sanctioned parades and festivals, railroad operations and farm equipment from both Sec. 16-68 and Sec. anywhere in the county, needs the urgent-necessity exception or faces citation.
Violations & Fines
Violating either the daytime building-hours limit in subsection (6) or the overnight equipment ban in subsection (13) is, on first citation, a class 3 misdemeanor under Sec. 16-73(a); a third noise conviction within five years becomes a class 1 misdemeanor. Sheriff's deputies issue the citation after a complaint under Sec. 16-72, and each day the prohibited work continues after notice is a separate offense under Sec. 16-73(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews work in Catawba County?
Can construction equipment run overnight anywhere in the county?
What happens if a builder violates the construction-hours rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Catawba County
How Catawba County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Catawba County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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