Moore County, NC Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

Sec. 10-42 lists 18 uses and activities exempt from the noise regulations in Article II, and item (14) covers 'Noises from lawn care equipment between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.' That phrasing sets the protected window; a leaf blower, mower or trimmer run inside those hours is shielded from a noise complaint, while the same equipment run before 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. is not exempt and falls back under the general nuisance standard in Sec. 10-41(a), which bars any sound that annoys, disturbs or endangers the comfort of a reasonable person within audibility of the public streets, parks, schools, churches, hospitals, or an occupied residential unit that isn't the source.

The county's separate blower-and-engine provision, Sec. 10-41(b)(6), independently bars noise-creating blowers and power fans from disturbing a residential area between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., reinforcing the same overnight cutoff for gas-powered lawn equipment. Neither section sets a decibel limit; both turn on the clock. Enforcement runs through Sec. 10-44: using lawn equipment outside the exempt hours in a way that disturbs neighbors is a Class 3 misdemeanor fined $100.00 to $500.00, or the Moore County Sheriff can issue a $200.00 civil penalty directly, due within ten calendar days and rising to $500.00 total if the county has to sue to collect.