Mount Pleasant, SC Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Mount Pleasant Code § 132.03(E)(5)
- Standard applied
- S.C. Code § 56-5-5020 muffler rule
- Related clause
- § 132.03(E)(1) bars unnecessary horn use
- Max penalty
- $500 fine and/or 30 days jail
- Enforcing agency
- Mount Pleasant Police Department
Summary
Town Code § 132.03(E)(5) makes it a town noise offense, on top of any state charge, for a motor vehicle's muffler to emit sound in violation of S.C. Code § 56-5-5020. Section 132.03(E)(1) separately bars unnecessary horn use within the Town of Mount Pleasant.
(5) Mufflers. Sound emitting from a motor vehicle's muffler in violation of S.C. Code § 56-5-5020.
Full Breakdown
Mount Pleasant folds vehicle muffler noise directly into its town noise ordinance rather than leaving it purely to the state. C. Code § 56-5-5020, the state statute governing exhaust and muffler equipment. 03, giving the Mount Pleasant Police Department a local charge in addition to any state citation. The same subsection (E) separately prohibits, in (E)(1), 'the sounding of any horn or signaling device on any motor vehicle on any street or public place, except as a danger warning,' which covers unnecessary honking rather than exhaust noise.
03: officers may use a sound level meter from the complainant's property line under division (B), though a plainly audible violation does not require one. Neither the muffler nor horn clause carries a separate penalty schedule; both fall under the general violation provision for the section.
Violations & Fines
A muffler-noise violation under § 132.03(E)(5) is punishable under § 132.03(H) by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both, capped at the penalty state law provides for a similar offense under S.C. Code § 56-5-5020. Each day a violation continues is treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mount Pleasant Police cite a loud muffler under the town noise code?
Is honking a car horn regulated separately from muffler noise?
What is the penalty for a vehicle noise violation in Mount Pleasant?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Pleasant
Compare Mount Pleasant to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle vehicle noise.