Lexington County, SC Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt event
- Annual Community-Sponsored Festivals, unincorporated county
- Allowed hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
- Frequency cap
- Twice per calendar year per sponsor/festival
- Governing section
- Sec. 24.14(h), Appendix B Zoning Ordinance
- Fallback rule
- Standard Sec. 24.13 decibel caps otherwise apply
Summary
Lexington County's zoning noise standards step aside for local festivals. Under Sec. 24.14(h), a community-sponsored festival in the unincorporated county can run louder than the normal decibel caps between 9:00 a.m. and midnight, but only twice a year per sponsor or festival, after which the standard Section 24.13 limits apply again.
The following activities are exempt from the provisions of this Section provided they conform to the specific conditions listed...h.Annual Community-Sponsored Festivals: Festivals sponsored by local communities within the unincorporated areas of the County are exempt only between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. The exemption for this category is limited to two (2) times per calendar year per sponsor/festival.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
(midnight), and only twice per calendar year for the same sponsor or festival. 13 caps of 75 dB (Restrictive districts and grandfathered residential uses) and 85 dB (Intensive districts), with impact sounds allowed 10 dB higher and every limit cut by 5 dB overnight. , twice a year per sponsor). Sec. 14 closes by noting that none of these exemptions preclude enforcement of the separate noise prohibition in Chapter 26, Article II by the Sheriff's Department, and that there are no grandfathering provisions for existing noise violations.
A festival organizer relying on the exemption should confirm the event fits within the stated hours and the twice-a-year cap before assuming the county's decibel limits do not apply.
Violations & Fines
A festival that runs past midnight, starts before 9:00 a.m., or occurs a third time in a calendar year for the same sponsor loses the Sec. 24.14(h) exemption and must comply with the standard Section 24.13 decibel caps, enforceable by the Zoning Administrator. The Sheriff's Department can separately act on any noise complaint under Chapter 26, Article II regardless of whether the festival otherwise qualifies for the exemption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a community festival in Lexington County run louder than the noise limits?
Do other public events get a noise exemption too?
Can the Sheriff's Department still respond to a festival noise complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
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