Pitt County, NC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Pitt County, NC, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Pitt County Noise Ordinance Section 3(B)(5)
- Quiet hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Applies to
- Vehicle repair/testing in residential areas
- Enforcing agency
- Pitt County Sheriff's Office
- First-violation civil penalty
- $100
- Emergency utility work
- Exempt under Section 6
Summary
Pitt County's Noise Ordinance sets a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. quiet window for residential areas: Section 3(B)(5) bars repairing, rebuilding or testing any motor vehicle overnight in a way that disturbs residents' peace and comfort, and Table I separately lowers every receiving-property decibel cap during those same hours.
The repairing, rebuilding, or testing of any motor vehicle between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. within any residential area in such a manner as to disturb the peace, quiet, and comfort of the residents of the area.
Full Breakdown
is a violation whenever it disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of the area's residents, independent of any decibel reading. ), and sound measured inside another unit of a multi-dwelling building drops from 45 dBA daytime to 40 dBA overnight. Commercial and industrial receiving property is not given a lower nighttime number and stays capped at 65 dBA and 75 dBA at all times. The Pitt County Sheriff's Office enforces the overnight vehicle-work ban and the Table I limits together under Section 4, with authority to grant variance permits on application.
Emergency work such as restoring water, gas, electricity, telephone or sewer service, or work by an authorized emergency vehicle, is exempt from the entire Noise Ordinance under Section 6. S. Section 14-4 punishable by a fine up to $400, and Section 9 separately imposes civil penalties of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $400 for every offense after that, with each day of continuing violation counted separately under Section 7.
Violations & Fines
Testing or repairing a vehicle in a residential area between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. in a way that disturbs neighbors draws a $100 civil penalty for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $400 for each one after that, or prosecution as a misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. Section 14-4 with a fine up to $400. Emergency repair work restoring utilities or responding to a public calamity is exempt under Section 6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a curfew on vehicle repair noise in Pitt County?
Do decibel limits change at night in Pitt County?
Can I fix my car at night if it's an emergency?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pitt County
How Pitt County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Pitt County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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