Noise ordinances › Charleston, SC

Charleston noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 30, 2026

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Quiet hours in Charleston

There is no general quiet period: the main rule bars loud and unnecessary noises and loud gatherings that disturb the peace and quiet of the city "either in the day time or at night" (21-16(b)), and the vehicle noise rule, including revving, applies the same way (21-16(c)). The clock rules in 21-16(f) to (h) turn on sound being audible in any public street or right-of-way; the sentence of 21-16(g) on brass and drum instruments does not repeat that condition. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: a radio, an amplified musical instrument (including brass or drum instruments) or any other amplified device may not be played in a privately owned or controlled courtyard or outdoor area (21-16(f)), and amplified sound may not come from an open window or door opening of a structure (21-16(h)). Unamplified music in such a courtyard or outdoor area is barred from midnight to 7 a.m. (21-16(g)), except that brass or drum instruments are expressly prohibited there from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (21-16(g)). Amplified sound through a speaker mounted on an exterior wall or surface of a structure, audible in the street, has no time band and is barred at any hour, "Except as provided in subsection (f)" (21-16(i)). Construction: powered mechanical equipment or tools used in building, construction, repair, renovation or demolition that cause loud and repetitive noises may be used only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays or on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (21-17(a)), subject to the exemptions and seven-day permits in 21-17(b) and (c). Sound trucks may operate only from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and not at all on Sundays and legal holidays (21-34). Disorderly conduct by loud, boisterous and unreasonable noise in a public place (21-109(b)(8)) has no time band.

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

No numeric decibel limits. Article II contains no decibel limit, sound-level table or meter procedure, and it defines neither audible nor loud. The tests are noise that disturbs the peace and quiet of the city (21-16(b), (c)); sound audible in any public street or right-of-way (21-16(f) to (i)); and, for construction, mechanical equipment "the use of which causes loud and repetitive noises" outside the permitted hours (21-17(a)). Sound trucks: the volume must be controlled so that it is not audible more than 100 feet from the truck and is not unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing or a nuisance to persons within the area of audibility (21-38), and sound-amplifying equipment may not run with more than 15 watts of power in the last stage of amplification (21-39). The only mention of decibels is a disclosure: a sound truck's registration statement must give the wattage to be used, "The volume in decibels of the sound which will be produced" and the approximate maximum distance the sound will be thrown (21-28(l)), but no decibel cap is set. Disorderly conduct (21-109(b)(8)) is loud, boisterous and unreasonable noise or disturbance, willfully made in a public place, to the annoyance of other persons nearby, or near any public highway, road, street, lane, alley, park, square or common, whereby the public peace is broken or disturbed or the public annoyed.

What the ordinance actually says

§ 21-16(b): "It shall be unlawful for any person, entity, or establishment to make, continue, or allow to be made or continued, any clamorous singing, yelling, shouting, whooping, bellowing, hollering, or other loud, obstreperous, wanton and unnecessary noises, or to make, continue, or allow to be made or continued, any loud gatherings, either in the day time or at night, which disturb the peace and quiet of the city, whether in the public street, on privately owned or controlled property, or within enclosures, public or private."

§ 21-16(f): "It shall be unlawful for any person, entity or establishment to play, operate or cause to be played or operated, any radio, amplified musical instrument including but not limited to brass or drum instruments or the amplified device or apparatus making or reproducing musical or other sounds within a privately owned or controlled courtyard or outdoor area after 11:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m. in such a manner as to be audible in any public street or right-of-way."

§ 21-16(g): "It shall be unlawful for any person, entity or establishment to play, operate or cause to be played or operated any musical instrument or other device or apparatus making or reproducing musical or other sounds without amplification within a privately owned or controlled courtyard or outdoor area after midnight and before 7:00 a.m. in such a manner as to be audible in any public street or right-of-way." / "This subsection expressly prohibits the playing of brass or drum instruments in privately owned or controlled courtyards or outdoor areas after 11:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m."

§ 21-16(c): "It shall be unlawful for any person to ride, drive, propel or otherwise operate a motorized vehicle in a manner which emits loud and unnecessary noise or long continued noise, either in the day time or at night, which disturbs the peace and quiet of the city, whether in the public street or on private property, or within enclosures, public or private. The prohibitions of this subsection shall include operating a motorized vehicle by rapid throttle advancing (revving) of an internal combustion engine resulting in increased noise from the engine."

§ 21-17(a): "It shall be unlawful for any person to use or cause the use of any mechanical equipment or tool operated by fuel or electric power in the building, construction, repair, renovation, or demolition operations, including, but not limited to, pile drivers, excavators, backhoes, pneumatic hammers, derricks, cranes, steam or electric hoists, the use of which causes loud and repetitive noises in the city other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays. No such construction operations which cause loud and repetitive noises shall occur on Sundays or on the following city holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day."

§ 21-38: "The volume of sound shall be controlled so that it will not be audible for a distance in excess of one hundred (100) feet from the sound truck and so that such volume is not unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing or a nuisance to persons within the area of audibility."

§ 21-109(b)(8): "Makes or causes to be made any loud, boisterous and unreasonable noise or disturbance to the annoyance of any other persons nearby, or near to any public highway, road, street, lane, alley, park, square, or common, whereby the public peace is broken or disturbed, or the public annoyed."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified 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.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-30. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint 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.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Charleston. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

Notable quirks: (1) The general rule (21-16(b)) reaches noise on private property and "within enclosures, public or private", at any hour, and covers loud gatherings as well as singing, yelling and shouting; the test is whether it disturbs the peace and quiet of the city, not a measured level or a set distance. (2) The clock rules are written around the street: courtyard music, open-window music and wall-mounted speakers are judged by whether they are audible in any public street or right-of-way (21-16(f) to (i)). Sound heard only inside a neighbor's home falls under the general disturbance test of 21-16(b). Among the clock rules, the one sentence that names no street is the ban on brass or drum instruments in such courtyards or outdoor areas from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (21-16(g)). (3) Three cross-references do not fit: 21-16(h) opens "Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (f) herein", although 21-16(a) is the council's findings of fact; 21-16(i) bars wall-mounted speakers "Except as provided in subsection (f)" without saying what that exception allows; and 21-31 refers to a statement "certified as provided in section 21-29", while certification is in 21-30. (4) Vehicles: a motorized vehicle that emits loud and unnecessary or long continued noise that disturbs the peace, on a street or on private property, violates 21-16(c), which expressly includes revving an engine; "motorized vehicle" includes cars, trucks, vans, buses, motorcycles, motor scooters, motorized skateboards, mopeds and low speed neighborhood electric vehicles (21-16(d)), and a horn blown to notify passengers or other persons, or as a safety precaution, is not covered (21-16(e)). (5) The construction rule (21-17, Ord. No. 2020-031) reaches only powered equipment whose use causes loud and repetitive noises. Exempt at any hour: emergency repairs to safeguard or restore public utilities or property, or to protect persons or property before or after a fire, accident or natural disaster such as a hurricane; work ordered by a city official or by court order to secure property; utility construction and construction work on the public right-of-way; concrete pouring, if all residents impacted get 48 hours' advance notice; repairs, maintenance or indoor remodeling done entirely by the homeowner with the noise contained completely within the structure; and work performed substantially by a homeowner on their own home (21-17(b)). The City may issue a permit exempting a specific construction project, or maintenance of public streets and rights-of-way, from 21-17(a) on a showing that no reasonable alternative exists to making the noise at night, the activity is compatible with the public safety and interest and the disruption is temporary, for example for schools, hospitals, municipal facilities or affordable housing; such a permit lasts seven days and may be renewed on reapplication (21-17(c)). Construction must still comply with 21-16 (21-17(d)). (6) Sound trucks (21-26 to 21-39) are any motor vehicle, horse-drawn vehicle or any mode of transportation carrying or emitting sound-amplifying equipment (21-26), and are excluded from 21-16 (21-16(j)). Before operating, the user must file a registration statement in duplicate with the chief of police, amend it within 48 hours of any change, and carry the certified copy and show it to any policeman on request (21-27 to 21-31). Only music or human speech is allowed (21-33); the truck must move at least 10 miles per hour, and when stopped by traffic the equipment may run no longer than one minute at each stop (21-35); no sound within 100 yards of hospitals, schools, churches, courthouses or polling places (21-36); nothing profane, lewd, indecent or slanderous (21-37). Standard car radios heard only by the vehicle's occupants are not sound-amplifying equipment (21-26). (7) The mayor or a designee may issue temporary permits for outdoor events, but only for events sponsored by public, non-profit, educational or religious entities (21-16(k)). (8) Disorderly conduct (21-109(b)(8)) requires willful conduct in a public place with the purpose of causing, or likely to cause, public danger, alarm, disorder or nuisance; the section does not suppress lawful assembly, picketing, public speaking or other lawful expression of public opinion (21-109(c)). (9) Neither Article II nor 21-109 states a fine or jail term. (10) This row covers the City of Charleston only; North Charleston is a separate city with its own code.

Document it before you report it

Charleston enforces mostly by audibility, but a log of measured levels still makes a complaint concrete and credible. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Charleston noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.