New rules to tackle downtown Raleigh noise that can reach jackhammer levels
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Six weekend measurements in Glenwood South exceeded 100 dB; highest reading 102 dB.
- City proposes tiered decibel limits for Glenwood South, permits, and citywide rules.
- Council plans enforcement via trained civilian sound officers and misdemeanor penalties.
Raleigh adopted new rules Tuesday to deal with noise from Glenwood South and other businesses that topped 100 decibels six times over one weekend.
That’s as loud as a jackhammer or car horn and can do prolonged damage, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The city hired Brian Block of Sound City Planning to measure amplified-sound levels and make recommendations for a revised city noise ordinance.
He spent two weekends, one in August and one in September, recording sound from downtown streets, outside Glenwood South bars and in the bedrooms, living rooms and balconies of people living nearby.
He recorded two instances of 100-plus decibel noise outside the Village and Devolve, and one each outside Teets and Dogwood. All are bars in the Glenwood Avenue nightlife district.
His data also showed how quickly noise levels can change.
For instance, two measurements were taken back to back at 12:54 a.m. from the side The Row, a dance and nightclub. One was 79.1 decibels, just shy of the proposed limit of 80 decibels. But the next reading was 81.6 decibels, which would be a violation under the rules approved Tuesday. A third reading at 12:56 a.m. from the front of the nightclub was 84 decibels.
The loudest recorded sound was 102 decibels of bass outside of Dogwood at 1:01 a.m. on an August Saturday.
The city used to measure decibel levels but moved to a “reasonable person” standard, a legal standard that doesn’t require measurements, because it was hard to accurately tell which businesses were causing noise.
The new rules propose three categories and noise levels depending on the location and circumstances, including special rules for the Glenwood South area, defined as between Hillsborough Street, North Boylan Avenue, Peace Street and North West Street.
The loudest maximum decibel level that will be allowed is between 10 a.m. and midnight in Glenwood South. The rules set a maximum of 82 decibels at higher frequencies and 92 decibels for lower frequencies. A garbage disposal produces noise at about 80 decibels.
A second category is a permit option for businesses that want amplified sound that aren’t in Glenwood South, and a third category applies to the rest of the city.
Violations can be punished by a misdemeanor, which means the city is required by state law to read the proposed ordinance at one meeting and vote on it at a second. The city reviewed this specific proposal Oct. 7, and a public hearing was held Oct. 14.
Bar owners, employees frustrated
Glenwood South residents, bar owners and employees have expressed frustration with the city’s changing noise ordinance. Many who spoke during the public hearing last week worked at bars and nightclubs in the district.
“All of us ... have a very vested interest in the district,” bar owner Dan Lovenheim said at the hearing. “These people earn their lives and livelihoods in it. And I don’t think you realize the constant changes over as many years impacts hundreds and hundreds of staff members of these places. It shortens their lifespans with stress.”
He and many others who work in the Village district asked that the city not “rush” and make a decision.
“My livelihood and financial foundation depend upon the success of the bars that I oversee,” said Kim O’Sullivan, chief administrative officer for Oak City Group. “The nine bars that we have in Glenwood South employ almost 400 people who depend on the income that they earn at those establishments.”
The constant changes have been confusing and exhausting, she said, adding that the window between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on weekends is when those bars make most of their money.
The Raleigh Police Department will hire and train civilian staff members to measure sound levels and enforce the rules.
“I understand the frustration that people are expressing because, believe me, I have the same frustration,” said Mayor Janet Cowell. “It’s like, how do we get to this other ordinance? Why are we having to come back to a decibel? So I will acknowledge that obviously [this has] not been ideal, and I am sympathetic to some of that frustration.”
The new rules take effect Jan. 1.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 8:11 AM.
