Noise Ordinances in South Carolina (2026)

Anderson County bans loudspeakers, sound amplifiers and similar sound systems from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays…

Berkeley County's noise ordinance sets normal residential noise to the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. under County…

Unincorporated Charleston County bars any excessive, unnecessary or unreasonable sound that is plainly audible between…

Columbia cuts its noise limit at night: under City Code Sec. 8-93(c), sound from any non-vehicular source in a…

Unincorporated Dorchester County bans unreasonably loud or disturbing noise under County Code Sec. 28-2 with no fixed…

In unincorporated Horry County, playing a radio, stereo, instrument, or other sound device between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00…

Unincorporated Lancaster County has no fixed nighttime curfew hour; instead Sec. 23-21 and Sec. 23-22 ban any excessive…

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary and unusual noise that disturbs the peace of any residential area, incorporated…

Richland County limits noisy yard equipment like mowers, chainsaws and grinders to the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m…

Rock Hill's noise code specifically flags yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on public streets between…

Simpsonville's noise code sets nighttime as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. EDT), when noise limits tighten and…

Spartanburg County bars noisy household and construction activity within 300 feet of any residence between 9:00 p.m…

Unincorporated Sumter County presumes noise is unlawful between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if it comes from a sound…

York County's noise ordinance bans yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on public streets between 11:00…

Aiken County bars pile drivers, power shovels, pneumatic hammers, derricks, hoists and similar loud construction…

Beaufort County limits construction staging and plant operations to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. when the site adjoins any…

Berkeley County limits construction, repair, demolition and alteration noise to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and…

Charleston limits loud construction equipment to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays…

Unincorporated Charleston County only exempts construction, demolition and mineral-extraction noise from its noise…

Columbia bans loud building-operation noise overnight in residential blocks: under City Code Sec. 8-65, it is unlawful…

Dorchester County has no separate construction-hours rule; loud work falls under the general noise ordinance, Sec…

In unincorporated Horry County, building construction, demolition, or repair is a prohibited noise except between 7:00…

Construction, agriculture, tree harvesting, land clearing, and lawn care noise is exempt from Lancaster County's…

Lexington County doesn't cap general construction noise by the clock, construction, grading, and demolition activity is…

Richland County's noise ordinance sets no separate construction curfew, but domestic power equipment such as saws and…

Rock Hill bars loud building-operation equipment, piledrivers, pneumatic hammers, derricks and similar apparatus…

Construction machinery, heavy equipment and power tools are exempt from Simpsonville's noise rules when operated during…

In the City of Spartanburg, building erection, demolition, alteration, or repair is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m…

York County Code §56.016 bars piledrivers, pneumatic hammers, hoists, and other loud building equipment between 9:00…

Anderson County Code § 24-169(f) exempts construction noise from the county's noise performance standards between 7:00…

Aiken County Code § 15-22(10)(b) makes habitual barking, howling, yelping, crying, crowing or singing by a dog, other…

Anderson County defines a "barking dog" as one that barks, bays, cries or howls continuously for ten minutes, or…

Beaufort County treats chronic barking, howling or crowing that disturbs a reasonable neighbor across a property line…

Berkeley County Code Sec. 8-1 classifies a pet that 'barks, whines, howls, screeches, or crows' excessively and…

Charleston prohibits owning or keeping a dog that barks or howls so much it disturbs the neighborhood's peace, under…

Charleston County declares it a public nuisance for any animal to "bark, whine or howl in an excessive, continuous or…

Columbia's noise code defers entirely to its animal ordinance: Section 8-96 says animal sounds are governed by Chapter…

Dorchester County declares it unlawful for an animal to bark, whine or howl in an excessive, continuous or untimely…

In unincorporated Florence County, Code § 6-2(p) makes it illegal for a dog's voice or barking to be projected into a…

Greenville County treats a dog as a nuisance once it barks continuously and persistently for more than 15 minutes…

Horry County does not put a barking dog under its general noise chapter but under its animal code. Section 4-3 makes it…

Lexington County treats a dog that habitually barks or makes 'loud or objectionable sounds' as a public nuisance, and…

A dog or other animal that repeatedly barks, howls, or whines loud enough to disturb neighbors counts as a public…

Pageland treats a dog or other animal that barks, whines, howls, crows or cackles in an excessive, continuous or…

Unincorporated Pickens County makes habitual barking, whining or howling that causes an unreasonable disturbance…

Richland County prohibits allowing an animal to bark, whine or howl in an excessive, continuous or untimely way that…

Rock Hill treats a dog or other animal whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs neighbors as a prohibited noise…

Simpsonville Sec. 18-84(b)(1) makes it a nuisance to keep any animal, including a bird, that causes frequent or…

Spartanburg County's noise ordinance excludes 'sound from domestic animals addressed by other ordinances or statutes'…

In unincorporated Sumter County, letting an animal bark, whine, or howl in an excessive, unwarranted, and continuous…

Unincorporated York County treats a dog, or any other animal, whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs a…

Aiken County requires any noise-creating blower or power fan to be muffled under Code § 15-22(10)(h), and exempts…

Charleston County only exempts chain saws, sanders, grinders, leaf blowers and other lawn and garden tools from its…

North Charleston bans gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers within 300 feet of a residence between 11:00 p.m. and…

Richland County has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Leaf blowers count as domestic power equipment, so they are…

Rock Hill exempts lawn mowers, leaf blowers, saws, drills, sanders, routers and grinders from its general 60-decibel…

Simpsonville has no leaf-blower-specific ban, but blowers fall under 'domestic yard equipment' and power tools. These…

The City of Spartanburg requires noise-creating blowers and power fans to be muffled enough to deaden the noise. In…

Dorchester County has no leaf-blower rule; daytime use is unrestricted under the general noise standard, Sec. 28-2…

Horry County has no dedicated leaf-blower ordinance and generally exempts lawn-maintenance equipment from the noise…

York County allows leaf blowers, lawnmowers, and garden tools between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. as long as they stay…

North Charleston bans music in outdoor seating and outdoor bar areas at commercial establishments after 11 p.m., on top…

Aiken County bans amplified music, loudspeakers, and sound equipment played loudly enough to disturb others' peace…

Anderson County bans loudspeakers, sound amplifiers and PA systems from being plainly audible across a property line…

Berkeley County's noise ordinance names radios, televisions, and loudspeakers as a prohibited noise category whenever…

Charleston bans amplified music in privately owned courtyards and outdoor areas after 11 p.m. and before 7 a.m. if it…

Playing a stereo or sound system on any property so it is "plainly audible within any residential dwelling of another"…

Columbia bars anyone from operating a radio, mechanical musical instrument, or other sound-amplifying device so it…

Dorchester County requires no party permit; amplified music that disturbs neighbors violates Sec. 28-2. Summerville's…

Playing a radio, stereo, TV or other sound-amplifying device loud enough to annoy or disturb people in a nearby home is…

Outdoor concerts, festivals, or fairs expected to draw 500 or more people in unincorporated Horry County require a…

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary music and noise that disturbs residential peace, with no fixed decibel meter…

Pageland bans operating any musical device loudly enough to disturb the community's repose between midnight and 8 a.m…

Richland County bans vehicle stereos and sound systems that are plainly audible 50 feet away or inside another person's…

Rock Hill bans operating any radio, phonograph, loudspeaker or similar sound-amplifying device loud enough to…

Simpsonville's noise code names loudspeakers, amplifiers, stereos and 'other devices which enhance or influence the…

For a special outdoor event, Spartanburg County lets organizers apply to the county administrator for an exemption from…

Unincorporated Sumter County bans operating any 'sound device,' from speakers to engines, loud enough to disturb people…

Unincorporated York County bans operating any sound-amplifying device, from a stereo to a loudspeaker, loud enough to…

Beaufort County requires departing aircraft at Hilton Head Island Airport to fly a noise-abatement climb before turning…

In unincorporated Florence County's Airport Compatibility District, residential dwellings and public-serving buildings…

Simpsonville's noise code expressly exempts 'aircraft in flight or in operation at an airport,' provided applicable…

Richland County's airport ordinance sets no decibel cap or curfew on aircraft noise. Section 3-37 only requires the…

Columbia's noise ordinance exempts aircraft operations from the city's decibel limits and enforcement, deferring…

Airports and aircraft are exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ordinance. Sec. 23-23(2) carves out noise from…

Rock Hill's noise ordinance caps most activity in or near residential areas at 60 decibels, but the code carves out…

Spartanburg County's noise ordinance exempts "sound from operations of properly equipped aircraft" under Code §…

Unincorporated Sumter County's noise ordinance does not reach airport and airplane noise. Sumter County Code §…

North Charleston sets a five-tier decibel schedule for commercial sound and live music, from 75 dB on weekday…

Aiken County caps how loud a conditionally permitted manufacturing, commercial or other nonresidential use can be at…

Anderson County Code § 24-169 caps continuous sound at a facility or property line using A-weighted decibel limits that…

Beaufort County caps outdoor noise at 60 decibels between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and at 80 decibels from 6:00 a.m. to…

Charleston's zoning code sets a hard numeric noise ceiling only for certain LI and Upper Peninsula district…

Unincorporated Charleston County bans any excessive or unreasonable sound that is plainly audible above 70 dBA or…

Columbia sets numeric decibel caps by vehicle type and speed limit under City Code Sec. 8-93(a): motorcycles built…

Dorchester County caps noise at the property line by use type: 90 dB for industrial and warehousing, 80 dB for general…

Florence County's zoning ordinance sets two specific decibel ceilings rather than a blanket residential noise standard…

Greenville County caps sound crossing a property line at 70 decibels between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and 60 decibels…

Horry County has no industrial decibel cap, but Section 13-32(b)(9) prohibits nighttime noise from asphalt, concrete…

Lexington County's zoning ordinance caps steady noise at 75 decibels next to Restrictive Development Districts and…

Richland County has no separate industrial-noise or decibel-by-zone ordinance. Commercial and industrial noise in the…

Rock Hill caps noise at 60 decibels at the property line in any residentially zoned area, or within 300 feet of a…

Simpsonville sets prima facie decibel guidelines in Sec. 18-90. For radios and amplified sound citywide: 70 dB(A) day…

Spartanburg County handles factory and machinery noise through a notice-and-abate process: a manufacturer producing…

York County caps noise from any activity at 60 decibels on or beyond the property line in residentially zoned areas or…

Greenville County bans playing a car stereo, radio, cassette or CD player loud enough to be heard 50 feet from the…

Aiken County Code § 15-22(10)(c)-(e) bans unnecessary horn honking, unmuffled engine or exhaust noise, and vehicles so…

Anderson County bans playing a car radio, boom box or similar device loud enough to be plainly audible 50 feet away or…

Berkeley County treats vehicle exhaust noise and vehicle defects as a listed category of prohibited noise under its…

City Code § 21-16(c) makes it unlawful to operate a motorized vehicle, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and mopeds…

Charleston County bans playing a vehicle radio or stereo loud enough to be "plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet in…

Columbia requires every motor vehicle and moped on city streets to run a functioning muffler and exhaust system that…

A car so out of repair or overloaded that its tires grate, grind or screech is banned under Sec. 18-1(b)(4), and Sec…

Horry County Code 13-32 bans discharging a vehicle, motorcycle, or engine exhaust into the open air except through an…

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary vehicle noise that disturbs a residential area, and it specifically tells…

North Charleston bans unreasonably loud, excessive or unusual noise from a motor vehicle's operation on any city street…

Richland County makes it unlawful to play a vehicle radio or sound system so loud it is plainly audible 50 feet from…

Rock Hill bans loud, excessive or unusual noise from operating a motor vehicle on any city street, and separately…

Simpsonville names 'motor vehicle exhausts without mufflers or with inefficient or ineffective mufflers' and loud…

In unincorporated Spartanburg County it is unlawful to run a motor vehicle with a removed or altered muffler that makes…

Unincorporated York County bans three specific kinds of vehicle noise: exhausts without a working muffler, horns or…