How to file a noise complaint in Charleston

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Charleston acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Charleston noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	Outdoor music 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. Sat., all Sunday)
How it is enforced	Audibility, no general decibel limit
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Code of the City of Charleston

Official text: Code of the City of Charleston, Chapter 21, Article II (Noise): Division 1 (Generally), Sec. 21-16 Loud and unnecessary noises restricted (Code 1975, §§ 36-1, 36-3; Ord. No. 1993-51, § 1, 3-23-93; Ord. No. 1993-52, § 1, 3-23-93; Ord. No. 1994-120, § 1, 4-26-94; Ord. No. 2003-36, § 1, 4-8-03; Ord. No. 2004-60, § 1, 6-15-04; Ord. No. 2011-44, § 1, 6-21-11), Sec. 21-17 Building construction operation noise (Ord. No. 2020-031, § 1, 3-10-20); Division 2 (Sound Trucks), Secs. 21-26 to 21-39 (from Code 1975, §§ 36-5 to 36-15 and 36-17 to 36-19; Sec. 21-26 also Ord. No. 2023-041, § 1, 2-28-23): 21-26 definitions, 21-27 to 21-31 registration statement, 21-32 applicability, 21-33 types of sound permitted, 21-34 hours of operation, 21-35 speed, 21-36 operation near hospitals and other places, 21-37 profane or slanderous speech, 21-38 restrictions on volume, 21-39 limitation on wattage. Also Article V (Offenses Against Public Peace), Sec. 21-109 Disorderly conduct prohibited (Code 1975, § 37-25), whose subsection (b)(8) covers loud, boisterous and unreasonable noise in a public place. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 115, online content updated September 3, 2026, on 2026-10-30..

Where to file in Charleston

Charleston's online request portal, the Citizen Support Center, lists a request type named Noise Complaint, described as "Report a noise complaint", and the City's Citizen Services Desk, which routes portal requests, can be called at (843) 724-7311, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The portal's request list is at https://crm-charlestonsc.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_RS/RequestSelect.aspx, which the Citizen Services Desk page links as File a Request; that page also gives citizenservices@charleston-sc.gov and 50 Broad Street, and says requests can be filed online 24/7 by creating an account with your email, which also lets you track their status. The list does not say which department handles a Noise Complaint. Police: the department's directory page lists the Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Non-Emergency Phone, 843-743-7200, a department phone number of 843-720-2427, and 911 as the emergency phone (180 Lockwood Boulevard). The department's Contact Us page lists the NonEmergency Dispatch number 843-743-7200, a Front Desk Duty Officer at 843-577-7434, the email speaktocpd@charleston-sc.gov and a link to submit an online incident report (https://charlestonpdsc.policetocitizen.com/Home, a Non-Emergency Incident Reporting site that says to call 911 in an emergency and does not list its report types on its home page). None of the police pages read today mentions noise. Under the code, the mayor or a designee may issue temporary permits for outdoor events sponsored by public, non-profit, educational or religious entities (21-16(k)), the City may issue construction noise exemption permits (21-17(c)), and sound truck registration statements are filed with the chief of police (21-27). Article II names no department to take noise complaints and states no fine or penalty; the City Code's general penalty provision was not among the text read, so no penalty figure is given here. Sources: https://crm-charlestonsc.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_RS/RequestSelect.aspx, https://www.charleston-sc.gov/1884/Citizen-Services-Desk, https://charleston-sc.gov/Directory.aspx?did=14, https://charleston-sc.gov/3018/Contact-Us, https://charlestonpdsc.policetocitizen.com/Home.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-30. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard or 311 can redirect you.

Before you call

Log it. Date, start and end time, what the noise was and where you heard it from. Three dated entries carry more weight than one angry call.
Measure it if you can. Charleston enforces mostly by audibility, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Charleston: Outdoor music 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. Sat., all Sunday). The Charleston noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the city does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.

What happens after you file

Non-emergency noise reports are queued, not dispatched, so a first call rarely ends the noise that night. What it does is start a record against the address. Repeated reports, a dated log and a reading are what move a case from a warning to a citation. Where the city needs an officer to witness the noise, as most audibility rules require, file while it is happening rather than the next morning.

How loud is Charleston in general? The Charleston noise map shows the federal transportation-noise data for every neighbourhood, and the apartment quiet hours page compares every city's night rule.

Who do I call for a noise complaint in Charleston?

What are the quiet hours in Charleston?

Outdoor music 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. Sat., all Sunday). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Charleston noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Charleston?

Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use the non-emergency police line or the department named above; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.

What evidence helps a noise complaint in Charleston?

Charleston enforces mostly by audibility and disturbance rules rather than a decibel number, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.

This page is a plain-language guide to the reporting route, not legal advice. Ordinances and contact numbers get amended; check the linked official sources before relying on a specific provision.