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

Section 10-1(c) narrows the county's broad noise prohibition in subsection (a) to two concrete tests before a violation can be enforced: the sound must be of a character, intensity and duration detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of a person with normal hearing and sensibilities at a distance greater than 50 feet from its source, and the provision applies particularly, but not limited to, the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. That phrasing means the county's overnight window is its clearest enforcement target, but daytime noise meeting the 50-foot, detrimental-effect standard is not automatically exempt.

The factors in subsection (a) still apply at any hour: how recurrent or constant the noise is, its volume and intensity, whether it has been amplified, the character and zoning of the area, and whether it is tied to a normal business or labor activity. Certain sources are exempt outright under subsection (d) regardless of the hour, including safety signals, responding emergency vehicles, scheduled outdoor athletic events, church bells and chimes during a religious service, and organized community or county celebrations. As with every clause of Sec.

10-1, subsection (e)(1) requires a law enforcement officer to warn the person responsible and give an opportunity to comply before any citation for a nighttime or daytime noise violation can be issued.