Charlotte, NC Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 15-64 splits amplified-sound limits by location and day. m. on Friday and Saturday; the ceiling drops to 50 db(A) at any other time. The reading is taken anywhere within the boundary line of the nearest residentially occupied property, or, for multifamily buildings where a boundary line cannot be found, from inside another unit in the same complex. Amplified sound in the public right-of-way, including streets, sidewalks and city-controlled parks, needs an on-site permit from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and cannot exceed 75 db(A) measured ten feet or more from the speaker during the same daytime and evening windows; equipment cannot sit more than ten feet off the ground.

Mobile equipment such as a car radio in a parked vehicle is exempt from the permit rule but still may not top 60 db(A) at ten feet during restricted hours. Separately, Section 15-63(b) caps any other mechanical noise, unrelated to amplified sound, at 70 db(A) measured at the nearest complainant's property line. Right-of-way permit applications go to CMPD at least one full business day but no more than seven calendar days ahead, and a permitted location cannot sit within 100 feet of another permitted event, within 100 feet of a permitted public assembly area, or within 150 feet of a school, church or health care facility during hours amplified sound is otherwise restricted near those uses.