City Council to Vote on Noise Ordinance, Business License Changes
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
The City of Anderson on Monday is moving to tighten and clarify its rules on noise, seeking to make enforcement more consistent across neighborhoods while leaving room for discretion and common sense.
At its last meeting, the City Council voted 9–0 on first reading to approve amendments to Division 3 of Article II, Chapter 42 of the Environmental and Nuisance Code — the section that governs unreasonable noise within city limits. City Manager David McCuen said the changes are designed to better define what qualifies as “unreasonable” and to give the Police Department clearer authority for citywide enforcement.
Under the proposal, enforcement will be complaint-driven, meaning officers will respond when residents report noise concerns. The ordinance includes exemptions for weddings, funerals, large church gatherings, and similar community events — an acknowledgment, council members said, that not all loud sounds are nuisances.
Violators could face fines ranging from $500 to $1,032, and the rules would take effect immediately once adopted. Councilman Luis Martinez described the measure as a step toward a clearer, fairer framework for enforcement rather than a harsher set of restrictions.
Council members also raised questions about how police officers would interpret the “common sense” standard referenced in the proposal. Police Chief Jim Stewart said City Prosecutor Rame Cambell would work with each shift to ensure officers understand the legal definitions and expectations.
The measure passed without dissent after brief discussion about its application to private property events. Officials said such cases would be handled on a complaint basis, reinforcing the city’s intention to rely on resident reports rather than proactive patrols.
At Monday’s meeting, city council will also give final vote to revisions to its business license ordinance to comply with a statewide mandate requiring uniform tax classifications for businesses — a move that officials described as procedural but financially significant.
At its Sept. 22 meeting, the city council voted unanimously, 9–0, to amend Anderson’s Business License Ordinance by adopting a new Rate Class Schedule, as required every two years under Act 176, a 2020 state law that standardized business license practices across South Carolina.
City Chief Financial Officer Margot Martin told council members that the updated schedule reflects recent data from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which bases license rates on average business profitability using IRS data. The update, effective Jan. 1, 2026, aligns Anderson’s rates with state guidelines while maintaining consistency with other South Carolina cities.
Martin said business license taxes generate roughly $5.3 million annually for the city, representing about 13 percent of the city’s general fund revenue. Because of restrictions on raising property tax millage under Act 388 and limits on how other funds can be used, the business license remains one of the city’s most flexible and important revenue sources.
Councilman John Harbin asked whether the reclassification would affect city finances. Martin said the changes could cause a projected revenue decrease of about $119,000, but that the shortfall had already been factored into the fiscal 2026 budget.
The ordinance update passed on first reading without opposition, positioning Anderson to meet the state’s January deadline for compliance with Act 176.
