Greenwood County, SC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Greenwood County, SC, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Business noise curfew
- 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Construction hours allowed
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays
- Maximum fine
- Up to $200.00 per offense
- Maximum jail term
- Up to 30 days
- Enforcing agency
- Greenwood County Sheriff's Office
- Exception
- Sheriff's permit for urgent construction
Summary
Unincorporated Greenwood County restricts noisy business operations at night and construction outside daytime hours. Section 11-3-2(a) bars garages, service stations, factories, stores and similar businesses from creating loud, disturbing noise near homes between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and limits building construction and demolition to 7:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. on weekdays.
(8)Building operations. The erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building in a residential or business district other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, except in cases of urgent necessity in the interest of public safety, and then only with a permit from the sheriff. ... (15)Business noises at night near residences. The operation of any garage, service station, auto repair business, taxicab business, plant, store, factory or other place of business, between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., in such manner as to create loud and disturbing noises of such frequency or such volume as to annoy or disturb the quiet and comfort of any citizen and particularly the creation of disturbing noises of such frequency and volume as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, peace or repose of any person in any dwelling, boardinghouse or other type of residence.
Full Breakdown
Greenwood County Code Section 11-3-2(a)(15), enacted by Ordinance No. 30-96 on November 19, 1996, prohibits operating a garage, service station, auto repair business, taxicab business, plant, store, factory or other place of business between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in a manner that creates loud and disturbing noise of a frequency or volume that annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort, peace or repose of any person in a dwelling, boardinghouse or other residence. The same section's subsection (a)(8) separately curbs daytime construction: erecting, excavating, demolishing, altering or repairing a building in a residential or business district is confined to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, unless there is urgent necessity for public safety and the work has a sheriff's permit.
Both curfews sit inside the county's general noise section, which applies only in the unincorporated area and is measured by whether the sound is 'plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from its source' under subsection (b). The Sheriff's Office enforces the curfew, and the complaints of three or more residents, or one resident plus the sheriff, are prima facie evidence of a violation under subsection (d). A sheriff's permit can authorize an exception to either curfew.
Violations & Fines
Breaking either curfew is a misdemeanor under Section 11-3-2(f), punishable by a fine of up to $200.00 or up to 30 days imprisonment, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense. The Sheriff's Office investigates complaints and can abate ongoing nighttime business or construction noise as a public nuisance under subsection (e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a nighttime quiet curfew for businesses in unincorporated Greenwood County?
When can construction crews work in unincorporated Greenwood County?
What is the penalty for violating the nighttime noise curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood County
How Greenwood County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Greenwood County to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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