Southport residents, business owners weigh in on city’s noise ordinance during town hall

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — As Southport continues to grow in popularity, residents, business owners and musicians are weighing in on the city’s noise ordinance and whether changes are needed to address growing concerns.

The city held a town hall Monday night, giving community members an opportunity to share their experiences with noise from live music, construction equipment and garbage collection.

Southport is known for its waterfront charm, tourism and small-town atmosphere. However, with businesses located near residential neighborhoods, some residents say the noise has become difficult to tolerate.

“If anybody is sick or wants to take a nap, it’s completely impossible, you can not go back there. You can actually see the glass on our backdoor vibrating,” resident Bill Fitzgerald said during the meeting.

Noise concerns have been an ongoing issue in Southport dating back to at least 2014.

The city’s Board of Aldermen has made several changes to its noise ordinance in recent years, including expanding audibility standards to 500 feet in 2023 and restricting the use of heavy equipment on weekends earlier this year.

However, resident David Mitchell believes the issue is not necessarily the ordinance itself, but how it is enforced.

“It’s not being enforced correctly, the beginning of the noise ordinance has some very good protections that they refuse to enforce,” Mitchell said.

Southport Police Chief Todd Coring explained that the current ordinance does not require his department to use equipment to measure decibel levels when enforcing noise restrictions. He said the department has had to borrow that equipment from neighboring law enforcement agencies.

Mitchell lives less than 350 feet from the recently opened Cape Side Brewing, where owner Alan McDonald says he is working to address noise concerns while maintaining live entertainment.

“Music is very important to this town, it’s a big revenue driver, it brings vacationers and visitors. I want to be a good neighbor and with bands that I’ve noticed that are being a little extra loud, I constantly tell them to bring down the sound, but music is going to travel,” McDonald said.

Local musician Jim Middleton believes performers can also play a role in reducing noise by adjusting their volume to fit the venues where they perform.

“If it is too loud, then it tends to interrupt the ability to socialize and that’s for the people just within the venue. And I think if we control the volumes that are within the social bubble, then I think we’ll also take care of the other issues,” Middleton said.

Southport Mayor Joe Pat Hatem believes residents and businesses can work together to address noise concerns without necessarily changing the city’s ordinance.

“I think there are ways of fixing this without having to really change any ordinance. I think it’s more cooperation and collaborative efforts on all our parts,” Hatem said.

Hatem said there are no immediate plans to change the ordinance.

According to the city manager, staff will review the feedback gathered during Monday’s town hall and bring any recommended changes to the Board of Aldermen for consideration sometime in 2027.