Jacksonville, NC Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 15-44, in Chapter 15's noise article, makes it a violation to discharge into the open air the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, boat motor or engine, or motor vehicle, except through a muffler or other device that effectively prevents loud or explosive noises. Sec. 15-56, in the article's Amplified Sound division, separately caps personal vehicular music amplification equipment: it can't be operated so as to be plainly audible at twenty-five feet in any direction from the operator, or register more than 70 dB(A) measured ten feet or more from the vehicle.

Sec. 15-27 defines plainly audible as any sound detectable by unaided hearing, and for a vehicle sound system, detecting the rhythmic bass component alone is enough to establish the violation; the officer doesn't need to identify the song or artist. Both provisions carry the same penalty: a Class 3 misdemeanor conviction, fined up to $500 under G.S. 14-4. Nearby sections address related vehicle noise: Sec. 15-43 bans operating a vehicle so out of repair that it grates, grinds, rattles or screeches, and Sec. 15-35 bars unreasonable horn use. Amplified-sound measurements more broadly are taken using the A- and C-weighted decibel scales set out in Sec. 15-54.