Worcester County, MD Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section ZS 1-346 adopts maximum allowable noise levels, in decibels, for unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, and states that it does so in accordance with state law. The limits depend on the zoning district and the time of day.

By day, the maximum is 75 decibels in the I and CM Districts, 67 in the C Districts, and 65 in the E-1, V-1 and all R Districts. By night, the maximum is 75 in the I and CM Districts, 62 in the C Districts, and 55 in the E-1, V-1 and all R Districts. The I and CM Districts carry the same figure day and night. Under subsection (a)(3), there are no maximum decibel levels in the A or RP Districts.

The section also fixes the clock. 'Day' is the time between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and 'night' is the time between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Noise levels are measured at the property line. Any alleged noise in excess of the limits is investigated by the appropriate state agency or County department as the County Commissioners designate, so a complaint goes to whichever body the Commissioners have named.

Wind turbines have their own noise test. Under § ZS 1-344(c)(11), audible noise from a wind energy conversion system cannot exceed the background noise levels, measured at the property line of the site, by more than five decibels on the dB(A) scale. Separately, § ZS 1-347, the Right to Farm Law, names noise among the conditions it addresses when agricultural and forestry operations are accused of interfering with neighbors. Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City have their own codes, so the district table applies only in unincorporated Worcester County.