Beaufort County, SC Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Beaufort 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
- Hours near residential use
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Hours elsewhere
- 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Governing provision
- CDC Appendix A, § A.2.50.K.2
- Applies to
- Construction staging or plant (batch plants)
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 30 days jail, per day
Summary
Beaufort County limits construction staging and plant operations to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. when the site adjoins any residential land use or district, and to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. everywhere else, under the Community Development Code's conditional and special use standards.
K.Construction Staging or Plant.1.Reports/studies required. All applications for this use shall include a community impact statement (A.1.30.A).2.If any one adjoining land use or district is residential, hours of operation shall be limited to 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. In all other instances, hours of operation shall be limited to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 Update 1 | Community Development Code: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
K, which applies in the county's Community Preservation Districts covering unincorporated Lady's Island and St. Helena Island. m. m. The same subsection requires the applicant to submit a community impact statement before approval and, before a development permit issues, to post advance surety equal to 100 percent of estimated site restoration costs and 100 percent of estimated road restoration or replacement costs, both determined by the Director or county engineer, so the site and any roads used are put back to original or improved condition once the project ends.
A. Because the standard is tied to the Community Preservation District use table, it governs construction staging and plant operations authorized there rather than every jobsite countywide, but it is the CDC's only codified construction-hours limit for that use.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the Development Code is a misdemeanor under CDC § 9.5.10, punishable on conviction by a fine not to exceed $500.00 or up to 30 days imprisonment, with each day of continuing violation treated as a separate offense. The Code Enforcement Department first issues a written notice of violation under § 9.4.40 stating the violation and abatement deadline; failure to abate leads to a Uniform Summons Ticket filed with the appropriate Beaufort County court under § 9.4.50, and repeat violations under § 9.4.70 do not require a fresh warning notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can a construction staging or asphalt/concrete batch plant operate in Beaufort County?
Does this hours limit apply to every construction site in the county?
What happens if a construction staging plant keeps operating outside the permitted hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
How Beaufort County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Beaufort County to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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