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

Section 38-1(g) of the County Code states that 'normal residential noise should be between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.,' setting an implicit overnight quiet period from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for typical household activity. The clause sits alongside the broader prohibition in § 38-1(b) against 'excessive, nuisance, unnecessary, unnatural or unusually loud noises,' so noise generated by a residence after 10:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m., such as loud music, yelling, or power tools, is treated as occurring at an unusual time under the ten enforcement factors in § 38-1(d), which specifically include 'the time of day or night the noise occurs' and 'the proximity of the noise to residential sleeping facilities.' The quiet-hours clause does not carry its own separate exemption list; instead, it operates alongside the exemptions that apply to the whole section, including sirens and alarms used as safety devices under § 38-1(e)(1) and emergency repairs following a fire, accident, or natural disaster under § 38-1(e)(2), both of which remain lawful at any hour.

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office and Berkeley County Code Enforcement Officers enforce § 38-1 jointly under § 38-1(i), and the current version of the section dates to Ordinance No. 21-10-64, adopted October 25, 2021.