The Village of Pinehurst Council is fine-tuning the balance between peace and play. At Tuesday’s council meeting, officials said noise complaints remain limited and short‑term rentals are getting extra attention, with new letters and signs planned to keep visitors (and leaf blowers) from disturbing the peace.
Village officials reviewed the town’s noise ordinance this week, concluding that complaints remain limited to two locations and that major revisions may not be necessary. Village Manager Doug Willardson told the council Tuesday that Pinehurst has averaged few documented violations since the ordinance was last updated about 14 months ago. Calls generally involved “short-term rental activity, construction sites, barking dogs, early-morning landscaping, and general ‘neighbor noise’ calls.”
The current limit is 75 decibels during daytime hours. Willardson said lowering the threshold is possible, but warned it could unintentionally penalize routine neighborhood activity. He said the existing objective standard helps officers quickly identify violations without subjective judgment.
“The overwhelming majority of complaints do not result in violations,” reported Willardson. “Officers repeatedly documented either: no noise present, normal conversational noise, or decibel levels well under ordinance thresholds (typically 40–55 dB). Enforcement actions were minimal and consisted almost entirely of courtesy advisories.”
Council members discussed placing temporary noise-monitoring devices at the two addresses that generated the most complaints: a residential property and Pinewild, the latter where residents called in complaints about leaf blowers on golf courses.
Willardson said the equipment, typically used at short-term rentals, would cost about $100 per month and would track volume levels and times. He cautioned that the devices cannot identify the source of a sound but could help identify patterns. Several members favored testing the monitors, noting that police often arrive after noise has subsided, leaving little data to confirm recurring problems.
Willardson said officers take decibel readings when responding to calls unless no noise is present, and officers make courtesy notifications even when readings fall below the violation threshold.
Pinehurst Mayor Patrick Pizzella said most issues resolve themselves once officers speak with residents, and that only a few properties create repeat problems.
The council also discussed early-morning golf course maintenance, which is exempt from the ordinance. Pizzella observed that complaints focus on leaf blowers rather than mowers. Council members questioned whether blower use could start later in the morning without interfering with course preparation, but also felt that this might be unrealistic and inconsistent with golf-course operations industry-wide. Staff and officers have educated Pinewild crews, who are making good-faith efforts to avoid the complainant’s home before 7 a.m.
Willardson will contact local clubs to gather input on possible adjustments, including a start time no earlier than 6:30 a.m. and whether blower use can be separated from essential turf maintenance. The council will revisit the matter after receiving feedback from the clubs and reviewing monitoring data.
Similarly, the council is preparing new communication efforts for short-term rental owners and considering updated neighborhood signs aimed at reducing noise, parking issues and trash violations in residential areas.
Willardson said many complaints from residents involve those three issues and that the council is looking for ways to “proactively encourage nice behavior by people.”
“We had a suggestion that we send communication to all the owners of short-term rentals in the community that sets forth our expectations and encourages them to communicate those expectations to their guests,” explained Willardson. He also notes that, “These materials are intended to support council’s discussion on a proactive, communication-based strategy that improves neighborhood quality of life while maintaining a positive and welcoming experience for visitors.”
Staff plans to send a letter to all short-term rental owners ahead of the spring tourist season. The letter outlines expectations for noise levels, trash collection, and parking rules, and encourages owners to relay those guidelines to their guests.
Council members also revisited a previous idea to install signs at neighborhood entrances reminding drivers of overnight parking restrictions. Current signs reference parking rules in the right-of-way, but officials questioned whether visitors clearly understand what that means. The updated version would simply state “no overnight street parking.” Willardson said the new signs would replace older ones and apply throughout all residential areas.
A separate proposal to create a voluntary inspection program for short-term rentals drew mixed reactions. Council members agreed the village should avoid creating any rating or endorsement system. Pizzella suggested folding the idea into a broader review of the town’s short-term rental ordinance next year, rather than addressing it piecemeal.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Article by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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*photo via Village of Pinehurst
