The City of Raleigh has been struggling with regulating noise since you could buy a cup of coffee for a dollar at the Morning Times—or even before. And last week, a Wake County Superior Court judge ruled that parts of the city’s nightlife permit ordinance—a separate but related regulation from Raleigh’s noise ordinance—are illegal after a local bar owner sued the city over it. 

But even before that judgment came down, officials were considering making changes to the “Turn Down the Sound” rules, and the city is taking public comments to help with the process. 

Julia Milstead, a spokesperson for the City of Raleigh, told the INDY that the ruling on the nightlife ordinance “does not impact the engagement we’ve been doing regarding the noise ordinance.” 

In 2023, after much debate, Raleigh adopted new rules to rein in noise and disruptive partying mainly in downtown’s entertainment districts, including Glenwood South. The rules, which went into effect in February 2024, required a $500 initial fee for nightlife permits for businesses selling drinks and providing entertainment after 11 p.m. and a $100 renewal fee annually. Additionally, establishments that received noise citations had to stop “outdoor amplified sound” for 24 hours and pay a $500 fine for a first offense, a $2,500 fine for a second offense, and a $5,000 fine for a third offense. 

Business owners complained about being unfairly targeted under the new rules since they only applied to businesses with the nightlife permit. Dan Lovenheim, who owns several bars on Glenwood South including Alchemy, The Avenue, and Milk Bar, filed a lawsuit against the city in February of last year. 

Along with the adoption of the nightlife permit, the city amended its noise ordinance to require commercial establishments that receive noise citations to be measured by a “reasonable person standard” rather than a specific decibel level. 

Then, in January, the city strengthened the rules to enforce turning down the sound. Businesses had to comply or risk another citation, with their only recourse being to appeal the citation to the city manager’s office rather than the police department.

On Thursday, Judge Paul A. Holcombe III issued an order stating that the city’s nightlife permit ordinance conflicted with the state’s ABC laws, writing that requiring nightlife permits is “unlawful, invalid and void as being without authority and inconsistent with preemptive, uniform system of regulation of ABC permittees” and that parts of the ordinance are “illegal, void and unenforceable” under state law.

“Since receiving the order, the City has taken steps necessary to comply with the court’s order while it considers all options,” Milstead wrote to the INDY in an email. “The City is assessing adjustments to the nightlife ordinances to address the court’s concerns, as well as other potential options.”

The INDY requested data from the Raleigh Police Department about how many noise complaints the city has received, and where, in 2025. We will update this story when we receive it. 

A look at the Dogwood Bar & Eatery in the Glenwood South District in 2018. Credit: Photo by Eamon Queeney

At a May city council work session, the city’s leaders received a Sociable City Assessment report from an independent consultant, the Responsible Hospitality Institute (RHI), about how it could improve its noise policy. The report, commissioned in early 2024 and focused specifically on the downtown districts around Fayetteville Street and Glenwood South, seemed to strike a chord with the mayor and some council members. 

In the report, the consultants suggested revising the noise ordinance and using a third-party mediator to facilitate a new community engagement process between the city and business community, “between which lies a chasm of mistrust,” the report states. It suggests potentially exploring an alternative enforcement agency or civilian entity (i.e., not the police department) to be in charge of noise enforcement, revisiting the “reasonable person standard,” and implementing a citywide 311 phone system for tracking complaints. Finally, it states, creating a “night manager” position and an “office of nighttime economy” has become “the gold standard in North America to ensure long-term sustainability.”

“When I read the sociable city study, it said a paradigm shift is required,” said Raleigh mayor Janet Cowell at the city’s Safe, Vibrant and Healthy Communities Committee meeting later that month. “Everything in that report resonated to me that that is the right approach.”

The council members agreed to give city staff time to come up with actionable recommendations on the issue, potentially this month after the council members return from their summer break. 

Meanwhile, the city launched its online survey August 1; there is currently no end date, but city staff will eventually report back to the council “and get further direction on any continued engagement efforts,” according to Milstead. 

Send an email to Raleigh editor Jane Porter: [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].

Jane Porter is Wake County editor of the INDY, covering Raleigh and other communities across Wake County. She first joined the staff in 2013 and is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief, first joining the staff in 2013.