Laurens County, SC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Sec. 18-22 lists exemptions from the noise nuisance article that otherwise governs unincorporated Laurens County under Sec. 18-20 and Sec. 18-21. Subsection (1) exempts sound produced by construction machinery and heavy-duty equipment used for construction, repair, cleaning and maintenance of buildings, streets, or public or private premises, but only when the work happens during daytime hours, defined in the same clause as no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and no later than 9:00 p.m. Equipment run before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. loses the exemption and falls back under Sec.

18-20's general nuisance standard, which bans any noise that causes material, physical or mental discomfort to persons of ordinary sensibilities, and under Sec. 18-21's list of specific nuisance noises. Enforcement runs through Sec. 18-24: a deputy may advise a contractor of the hours limit and request compliance without a public complaint, and no charge can be filed until the operator has had a chance to stop the noise without penalty. If the deputy judges the disturbance substantial, a summons can issue. The complaints of three or more residents, or one resident plus the deputy's own observation, are treated as prima facie evidence the noise occurred, under Sec. 18-24(b).