Lancaster County, SC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Lancaster County, SC, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Exempt hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Covered activities
- Construction, agriculture, land clearing, lawn care
- Outside exempt hours
- General excessive-noise ban applies
- Enforcing agency
- Sheriff's Office
- Third-offense minimum fine
- $250
Summary
Construction, agriculture, tree harvesting, land clearing, and lawn care noise is exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ban only between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Under Sec. 23-23(4), work noise outside that 16-hour window loses the exemption and falls under the general nuisance-noise prohibition in Sec. 23-22.
This article shall not apply to: ... (4)Noise emanating from construction activities, agriculture activities, tree harvesting or land clearing activities, lawn care activities, or similar activities between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 23-23 of the Lancaster County Code lists the activities exempt from the Article II excessive-noise ban in Sec. 23-22. m. is not exempt, so it is judged under the general excessive-noise standard in Sec. 23-21, weighing factors such as intensity, duration, the character of the surrounding area and the date and time the noise occurred. The same section also exempts noise from lawfully established businesses on a fixed site (other than bars licensed for on-premise alcohol consumption), from government activities, airports and aircraft, railways, emergency signal devices and parades, and from emergency operations needed for immediate safety or to restore property after a calamity.
The Sheriff's Office enforces Article II under Sec. 23-24, and a resident's complaint combined with a deputy's, or a deputy's complaint alone, is prima facie evidence of a violation, with penalties escalating for repeat offenders.
Violations & Fines
Running construction, land-clearing or lawn equipment outside the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. exempt window, if it rises to excessive noise under Sec. 23-21, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 23-22 and Sec. 23-24, fined and/or imprisoned per Sec. 1-10 for a first or second offense, with a minimum $250 fine for a third or later offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews make noise in unincorporated Lancaster County?
Can a contractor run equipment before 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m.?
Does the exemption cover lawn mowing too?
Who do I call if a neighbor's construction noise runs late at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster County
How Lancaster County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Lancaster County to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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