Orangeburg County, SC Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Section 24-2 is a broad, standard-based noise prohibition rather than a fixed quiet-hours schedule: it bars "unreasonably loud, disturbing noise" in the unincorporated area at any time of day or night, leaving the Sheriff's Office to judge on a case-by-case basis whether a complained-of sound crosses that line, rather than measuring against a posted curfew or decibel table. The ordinance was originally adopted by Ord. No. 97-10-12 on October 20, 1997, and was amended by Ord. No. 2018-12-03-34 on December 3, 2018, without adding specific hours or decibel limits.

Because it sits in chapter 24, "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions," alongside the county's loitering and special-event-permit sections, it functions as the general catch-all noise rule for unincorporated Orangeburg County; it does not apply inside the county's sixteen municipalities, each of which enforces its own municipal noise code. 00 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both, for a first citation. Section 24-2(b) goes further than the baseline penalty rule by making every successive day the disturbing noise continues a separate offense, so a sustained nuisance, such as an ongoing loud outdoor gathering or continuously operating equipment, can generate cumulative citations rather than a single charge.

Because the standard is not tied to a clock, a daytime construction din or an all-night party can both be charged under the same section if a deputy finds the noise unreasonably loud and disturbing under the circumstances.