Apex, NC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Apex, NC, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Nighttime hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Trash/delivery curfew
- banned 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
- Nighttime sound-amp limit
- plainly audible at 50 ft
- Criminal penalty
- misdemeanor, G.S. 14-4
- Civil penalty
- up to $500/day after day 5
Summary
Apex bans plainly audible noise that disturbs neighbors during nighttime hours, defined as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., covering loud music, nighttime construction, and trash pickup or deliveries between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Nighttime hours means after 10:00 p.m. and until before 7:00 a.m., local time. ... The playing of any radio, phonograph, amplifier, television, tape deck, tape recorder, or musical instrument in such a manner or with such volume during the nighttime hours as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of any person or persons in any dwelling, hotel, motel or other type of residence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
The Apex Town Code sets nighttime hours as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (Sec. 14-29) and separately bans playing a radio, TV, or musical instrument loudly enough during that window to disturb people in a dwelling, hotel, or motel (Sec. 14-33(a)(3)). The same nighttime window also bars garbage/recycling/yard-waste collection and commercial deliveries between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (except in LI/TF industrial zones), and caps sound-amplification equipment at 50 feet audibility at night versus 300 feet by day. Construction noise is separately restricted after 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Violations & Fines
A violation is a misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, plus a town civil penalty of up to $100/day for the first through fifth day and up to $500/day thereafter, enforced by Apex Police and the town council.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time are Apex's quiet hours?
Can trash or deliveries happen at night in Apex?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apex
How Apex compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Apex to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle quiet hours.