Raleigh Adopts New Sound Ordinance Balancing Nightlife and Livability

Raleigh brought in Sound City Planning to help revise their sound ordinance and develop a comprehensive approach to sound management to better balance vibrant nightlife and residential quality of life. Sound City Planning worked with city leaders to develop practical, balanced solutions grounded in our Eight Key Principles for Effective Sound Management

The Raleigh City Council unanimously adopted a new sound ordinance that leverages the nightlife, music, and entertainment that makes the City unique and vibrant, while protecting livability and quality of life for residents.

Raleigh’s Mayor, Council, and staff had been working to address this complex issue for years. Raleigh faced persistent noise conflicts between entertainment and residential uses, especially in its downtown mixed use hospitality district. It had often seemed like an impossible conflict with no good solution. 

But, cities can support both nightlife vibrancy and livability when they take a proactive, thoughtful, and comprehensive approach to managing entertainment-related sound.

Raleigh brought in Sound City Planning to help revise their sound ordinance and develop a comprehensive approach to sound management to better balance vibrant nightlife and residential quality of life.

In just three months, we worked with city leaders to develop practical, balanced solutions grounded in our Eight Key Principles for Effective Sound Management— and yesterday, the Raleigh City Council adopted a new sound ordinance that implements all of them!

As Mayor Janet Cowell said:

I think we have struck the right balance. I think we're going to get it right. This is a growing city. We have to get more sophisticated, and I think this next ordinance is going to work.

We couldn’t agree more. Raleigh is now poised to be a national leader on entertainment-related sound management.