Craven County, NC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Craven 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
- Quiet hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Governing section
- Craven County Code § 24-22(a), (b)(1)a
- General ban
- Noise disturbances barred at any hour
- Noise-sensitive zone
- 200 feet of schools, churches, hospitals
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. § 14-4
Summary
Unincorporated Craven County enforces a general 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. quiet-hours scheme under Section 24-22. Noise disturbances are barred at any hour, but the code singles out radios, TVs, musical instruments and similar amplified sound as unreasonably loud specifically during the night window when they cross a property line or hit a noise-sensitive zone.
(a)Noise disturbances. Except as provided in section 24-23, no person shall make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance, regardless of the time of day. ... (b)Specific prohibitions. Except as provided in section 24-23, the following acts, among others, are declared to be unreasonably loud, disturbing and unusually excessive noises in violation of this article, but such enumeration shall not be exclusive:(1)Radios, television sets, musical instruments and similar devices. Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound:a.Between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a real property boundary or within a noise-sensitive zone;
Full Breakdown
Section 24-22(a) bars any noise disturbance in unincorporated Craven County regardless of time of day, defined in Section 24-20 as sound that endangers health or safety, or annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities. Subsection (b) then lists acts the county deems unreasonably loud 'among others,' with the enumeration expressly non-exclusive. the following day is a violation, as is playing one loud enough to disturb someone 50 feet away in a vehicle or motorboat, or disturbing a fellow passenger on a common carrier.
A noise-sensitive zone is any area within 200 feet of a school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home. window governs loudspeakers and public address systems under subsection (b)(2). Section 24-23 exempts emergency alerts and work, board-permitted activities, domesticated animals and livestock, lawful hunting, and timbering, logging and agricultural work. § 14-4 on top of the penalties in Sections 1-11 and 1-12.
Violations & Fines
Playing a radio, TV, stereo or musical instrument loud enough to cross into a neighbor's property or a noise-sensitive zone between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. violates Section 24-22(b)(1)a. Any noise disturbance, day or night, can violate Section 24-22(a). The Sheriff's Office investigates; a violation is a misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. § 14-4 plus the general penalties in Sections 1-11 and 1-12.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a general quiet-hours rule in unincorporated Craven County?
Does the quiet-hours rule apply during the day too?
What counts as a noise-sensitive zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Craven County
How Craven County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Craven County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.