City Council wrestles with decibel limits, quiet hours in downtown noise rewrite
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Before deciding how lively downtown should be, Beaufort’s leaders are first deciding how loud it can be.
During its Feb. 10 meeting, the Beaufort City Council took up first reading of a revised “loud and unseemly noise” ordinance — a rewrite intended to clarify decibel thresholds, quiet hours and enforcement standards in the historic district.
Police Chief Stephenie Price told Council the proposed changes are designed “to improve clarity and consistency and alignment with current community expectations” and to “balance our neighborhood impacts with business and event activity.”
What followed was a detailed debate over science, practicality and institutional history.
85 decibels or 70?
One of the sharpest disagreements centered on the proposed 85-decibel cap.
Mayor Pro Tem Mike McFee questioned whether that level aligns with accepted medical guidance on safe sound exposure.
“I think the decibel levels are too high,” McFee said. “I think that the highest decibel that we should be looking at is 70. Eighty-five … is onerous or excessive.”
McFee pointed to widely recognized public health standards that identify prolonged exposure to higher decibel levels as potentially harmful.
His argument: if medical science recognizes 70 decibels as a safer long-term exposure level, the city’s ordinance should reflect that benchmark — particularly in mixed residential areas.
Councilman Josh Scallate raised concerns about how the draft structured the nighttime music district exemption, specifically questioning the logic of a 60-to-85-decibel range.
“If the cap’s 85… why would you have a range there?” Scallate said during discussion of the exemption language.
Others suggested relying more heavily on a “plainly audible” standard — whether sound can be clearly heard from a certain distance — rather than strictly on decibel measurements.
The exchange highlighted a core tension: measurable science versus what residents actually experience from their homes.
Not just music
While much of the public focus centers on live music and nightlife, council members emphasized the ordinance applies far more broadly.
The noise code governs not only amplified performances and bar patios, but also construction activity, landscaping equipment, delivery operations and other commercial work that can begin early in the morning.
Leaf blowers, garbage trucks and power tools were all referenced as examples of sounds that routinely trigger complaints.
That broader scope is why quiet-hour start times — particularly the proposed 7 a.m. threshold — drew scrutiny.
For residents living above storefronts or near commercial corridors, the difference between 7 and 8 a.m. can be significant.
“Much history” with the music district
The discussion repeatedly returned to the city’s existing nighttime music district downtown.
“There is much history between the nighttime music district downtown. Much history,” Councilman Mitch Mitchell said during the debate.
Mitchell later suggested the simplest path forward may be consistency.
“I think they both should match and right now it seems like the easiest path of least resistance is to make the new draft match the old one and then we can revisit it down the road,” he said.
McFee also referenced the ordinance’s deeper roots, noting past legal challenges helped shape its current structure.
The nighttime music district dates back decades and has been refined through previous council actions and litigation. That institutional memory continues to inform how carefully Council approaches revisions.
Quiet hours under scrutiny
Public comment sharpened the debate over quiet hours.
Graham Trask, who lives at 1211 Bay Street, urged Council to reconsider the proposed 7 a.m. start time for louder activity.
“I believe that 7 a.m. start time for loud hours is really early,” Trask said. “St. Helena’s bells don’t go off until 8. I think 8 is appropriate, not 7.”
Trask also questioned the 85-decibel benchmark.
“I did measure 85 decibels … and 85 decibels … that’s loud,” he said.
Council members also acknowledged complaints about automotive noise and bass from live music carrying into nearby residential streets.
“If we’re going to change it … maybe meet down there, listen to it, see exactly what that sounds like,” Scallate suggested during discussion about how far 85 decibels actually travels.
Enforcement and next steps
Chief Price emphasized that the rewrite was developed in collaboration with the city attorney and with public input to ensure the ordinance remains enforceable and legally sound.
Council approved the ordinance on first reading and will take it up again for second reading in the coming month.
The noise ordinance discussion comes as Council also considers a proposed downtown social district under a 2023 state law allowing municipalities to designate open-container zones.
While the two issues are separate, both reflect an ongoing balancing act: encouraging economic activity while preserving quality of life for residents who live within and near the historic district.
The Feb. 10 debate made clear that Beaufort’s question is not simply how many decibels are acceptable.
It is how the city defines the sound of its downtown — and who gets to decide when it crosses the line.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.