Forsyth County and Winston-Salem do not use a numeric decibel (dBA) standard. Enforcement is based on a "plainly audible" / reasonable-person test measured by distance, such as disturbing noise at 100 feet (county) or 50 feet from a vehicle stereo (Winston-Salem).
Unlike some cities, Forsyth County's Sec. 15-1 and Winston-Salem's Chapter 46 contain no decibel tables tied to daytime or nighttime hours. Instead they rely on whether sound disturbs a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities and on plainly-audible distance thresholds: 100 feet for a vehicle device in the county (Sec. 15-1(c)), 50 feet for a vehicle device in Winston-Salem (Sec. 46-36), and 300 feet for entertainment-district amplified music (Sec. 46-7). Winston-Salem defines "plainly audible" so that detecting any component of sound, including rhythmic bass, with unaided hearing suffices to prove a violation, without needing a decibel meter.
Class 3 misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, fine up to $500; no meter reading required to establish a plainly-audible violation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Winston-Salem, NC
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