Anderson County, SC Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 26-127(2)b of the noise article makes it unlawful to operate or play a radio, boom box, television, phonograph, musical instrument or similar device in a motor vehicle, or in any public area or area with public access, in a manner plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet or inside any residence other than the sound source. Subsection (2)c separately bars vehicle sound that exceeds the decibel levels set in section 24-169, Table 1. Section 26-127(1) also prohibits sounding a vehicle horn or signaling device continuously or incessantly for more than 60 seconds except as a danger warning.

The general excessive-noise section, 26-125, folds muffler condition directly into the enforcement analysis: subsection (b)(6) directs a court to weigh, for any motorized vehicle including off-road vehicles, motorcycles and watercraft, whether the vehicle is equipped with a muffler or suppression device that keeps exhaust noise at or below the level the manufacturer originally provided, and subsection (b)(7) further weighs whether vehicle noise is loud enough to drown out emergency sirens or warning horns from a safe distance. All of these provisions apply only in unincorporated residential and public areas of the county; the noise article defines "residential areas" as neighborhoods of single-family and multifamily dwellings, mobile homes and mobile home parks.