Carteret County, NC Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Carteret County Code § 10-1 bans unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise anywhere in the unincorporated county, and subsection (b)(4) specifically targets vehicles: any automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle so out of repair, or so loaded, that it creates loud grating, grinding, rattling or other noise is a prohibited noise source. The Board of Commissioners enacted the ban under G.S. 153A-133, the state's general noise-control authority for counties. To count as a violation, the noise must be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of a person with normal hearing at a distance greater than 50 feet from the vehicle, with particular (but not exclusive) attention paid to noise created between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Deputies weigh the time of day, proximity to homes, whether the noise recurs, its volume, and whether it results from ordinary business or labor activity before citing anyone. Emergency vehicles, authorized safety signals and scheduled outdoor athletic events are exempt, but a leaking muffler or a rattling truck bed on a residential street in Down East or Harkers Island is not. Before anyone is charged, a law enforcement officer must first warn the driver and give a chance to fix the problem; only a repeat or unaddressed violation results in a citation.