Buncombe County, NC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Sec. , as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of a person of normal sensibilities in a dwelling, motel, hotel, or other type of residence. Because the rule says "particularly but not limited to" those hours, a loud stereo can violate the ordinance at any hour if it meets the general definition in Sec. 26-181(a): noise a reasonably prudent person would find substantially incompatible with the time and place it's created, to the point of interfering with the peace, dignity, or good order of the area.

In deciding whether noise crosses that line, the ordinance directs enforcement to weigh the time of day, how close the noise is to residential structures, whether it's recurrent or constant, its volume and intensity, whether it's been mechanically amplified, and whether the person making it could control it without unduly restricting their own conduct. Article IV of the noise chapter exempts several categories entirely, including noise from authorized emergency vehicles, farming operations, normal governmental-facility operations, and any event held in recognition of a community celebration or public festival, but ordinary residential playback of music or television has no such exemption. The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office enforces the article in unincorporated areas under Sec. 26-186(a).