Mayor John Gregg “sounded off” about the possibility of Seabrook Island having its very own noise ordinance at the May 23 Town Council meeting.
According to Town Administrator Joe Cronin, the Town does not currently have a noise ordinance and hasn’t since at least 2017 when he started in the role at Seabrook Island.
Of course the Town’s code enforcement has the power to issue violations for “public nuisances,” as a general term, and there is official regulation by the Town on discharging fireworks specifically, but no noise ordinance exists for Seabrook Island at this time.
Also, Seabrook Island Property Owners Association addresses “noise” in their rules and policies, stating: “Radio, TV and music volume should be low and not disturb neighbors. Loud noise that disturbs quiet enjoyment may be reported to the Seabrook Island Gatehouse at 843-768-6641.”
Cronin clarified, “Since most of the properties within the town are located behind the SIPOA gate, this is an issue that has historically fallen under the purview of SIPOA. SIPOA enforces rules and regulations relating to noise, but those rules only apply to properties which are part of SIPOA. The town is the only entity that would have town-wide jurisdiction over excess noise and other nuisances.”
Gregg announced at the meeting that the issue was raised by a resident recently concerning repeated noise during evening hours from a nearby source. “The resident would like the Town to undertake regulation on noise,” he said.
The issue of noise was briefly addressed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Short Term Rentals, but Gregg said that he would like to see regulation that is not restricted to short term rentals only.
Gregg addressed each member of Council for comment on the possibility of a noise ordinance to gauge their level of interest in the Town undertaking such enforcement.
Council Member Jeri Finke, who is also a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Short Term Rentals, said, “We recommended in the Ad Hoc Committee’s 2022 report that council discuss the possibility of a noise ordinance. I am in favor of moving forward with some kind of noise ordinance, along with other nuisance issues in an overall ordinance. I am in favor of that research and possibility.”
Council Member Pat Fox said, “Noise is one of the many nuisances that comes up with short term rentals, but that permeates to long term residents too. It can be a problem across the board. So I agree, looking into this would be good. I’m not saying we need to pass it, but it would be good to look into because it is one of several nuisances that keep popping up. And it isn’t just a short term rental problem; it’s a problem throughout the community.”
Council Member Dan Kortvelesy said, “Yes, I am in favor of continuing with the research. As always with these ordinances, who is going to enforce it? Since we only have code enforcement, and they range from part time on certain days to full time in the summer, and this is not just a summer issue, who do you call? So research will be good. I had a complaint once from someone that actually lived on Johns Island who said that there was noise coming from Salty Dog and going up the river, so there were various people being affected by that. They asked if we had a noise ordinance. But those are the questions that our ordinance will have to address. So, my answer in a roundabout way is yes, but there are just going to be things that we need to be mindful of.” The Salty Dog Café is known for their live music and is located in Bohicket Marina, which is within the Seabrook Island town limits.
Lastly, Council Member Barry Goldstein, who was attending the meeting on video, said, “I am in favor of a stand alone ordinance, not associated just with short term rentals. Like everything else, we’ll have to craft an ordinance that will be best for this town and we’ll have to figure out how to enforce it as the town’s code enforcement grows. We may need additional officers, but yes, we should look at a noise ordinance and focus it around our town.”
Gregg added that Cronin worked on a noise ordinance for the town he worked with prior to coming to Seabrook Island, which was Fort Mill. “I think his experience puts us in a good position to move forward with a noise/nuisance ordinance.”
He also admitted that the town has a challenge with all enforcement regulations that go well into the evening hours. “It is a challenge we have currently and will continue to have until or unless we decide we want to have 24-hour service of code enforcement officers, and I don’t see that happening.”
He continued, “Do not be misled that if we regulate noise and other nuisances that it will be the end of the discussion. If you have it on the books and don’t enforce it, you will most certainly hear about it.”
He gave Cronin permission to work on a regulation of noise and other nuisances. Cronin said, “We spoke about this with the Ad Hoc Committee for Short Term Rentals. I will say that if you find a noise offensive, it doesn’t matter the type of property it is coming from. It is something we are continuing to evaluate and enforcement is a key component.”
Finke concluded the conversation on a noise ordinance for the town by saying, “It is worth really getting down into the weeds on this issue. What would we put in that type of ordinance and how would it be enforced? And how would we pick the enforcement? So, I want to add that at the end of the summer when we present the Short Term Rental Report, we want to present that whole complete package.”
