City Council adopts amended rules governing amplified sound, quiet hours, downtown entertainment activity
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The Beaufort City Council approved third and final reading of the city’s revised noise ordinance during its Tuesday, May 12, meeting, concluding months of debate over how Beaufort should balance downtown entertainment activity with quality-of-life concerns from nearby residents.
The updated ordinance revises portions of the city’s existing “Loud and Unseemly Noise” regulations and establishes new standards tied to decibel limits, quiet hours and enforcement procedures.
Discussion surrounding the ordinance has continued for months as city officials, residents and downtown business owners debated how to address late-night music, amplified sound and complaints connected to the city’s growing entertainment and tourism activity.
City officials previously said the revisions were intended to modernize portions of the ordinance while creating more objective enforcement standards for police officers responding to complaints.
McFee introduces final amendments
Before the ordinance received final approval Tuesday night, Mayor Pro Tem Mike McFee introduced a series of amendments to the ordinance language following continued discussions between council members, city staff and law enforcement officials.
The amendments included consolidating and renumbering portions of the ordinance, refining language tied to vehicle-related noise violations and clarifying “plainly audible” enforcement standards.
One amended section prohibited “rapid revving of engine, unnecessary honking of horn, or amplified music or sound devices” from vehicles when plainly audible from a distance of 50 feet.
McFee also worked through amendments tied to how the ordinance distinguished between residential quiet hours and standards governing the city’s downtown Music District.
Police Chief Stephenie Price said the city had worked extensively to create language officers could realistically enforce in the field.
“We need something that is enforceable and understandable,” Price told council during discussion of the ordinance.
Councilman Josh Scallate briefly questioned whether portions of the revised language relied too heavily on subjective “plainly audible” standards rather than measurable sound readings gathered through decibel meters.
“I don’t see anything in your amendments … that addresses the nighttime hours,” Scallate said during the discussion, later raising concerns about enforcement language tied to plainly audible violations.
Scallate argued certain violations should instead be determined through measurable sound readings rather than officer interpretation alone.
That led to additional discussion over whether residential quiet hours should begin at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and how those provisions interacted with separate standards already established for the downtown Music District.
At one point, Scallate acknowledged how much time council had already spent refining the ordinance and working through individual revisions.
“This is probably a sign of how long we’ve been working on this ordinance,” Scallate said after noting he agreed with nearly all of McFee’s proposed amendments except one tied to enforcement language and nighttime standards.
Council ultimately approved the amended ordinance on second and final reading.
Downtown entertainment district remained central issue
Much of the debate surrounding the ordinance over recent months focused on the city’s downtown core and waterfront entertainment areas, where restaurants, bars and live music venues frequently operate near residential neighborhoods.
Under the revised ordinance, certain amplified sound violations can now be measured using decibel readings depending on location, zoning and time of day, while portions of the code still retain “plainly audible” enforcement standards.
The ordinance also revises quiet hour regulations and establishes different standards for residential areas versus portions of the city’s downtown entertainment district.
Business owners and entertainment advocates previously cautioned council against restrictions they believed could negatively impact Beaufort’s downtown atmosphere, tourism economy and live music venues.
At the same time, Beaufort resident Wayne Reynolds told council nighttime music and vehicle-related noise had become an ongoing issue for nearby neighborhoods.
“The language in the whereas is really beautiful language,” Reynolds told council. “It’s sensitive, it’s real, and it is a real problem.”
Reynolds also noted concerns over vehicle-related noise and the difficulty of enforcement.
“Especially the vehicular noise is really hard to chase,” Reynolds said. “So we need officers in cars with decibel meters.”
Councilman Mitch Mitchell said council had spent months attempting to balance competing concerns surrounding downtown activity and residential quality of life.
“We’re trying to strike a balance,” Mitchell said during earlier ordinance discussions.
The revised ordinance now takes effect as part of the City of Beaufort Code of Ordinances following its approval on second and final reading May 12.
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.