Noise Ordinances in Chatham County, GA (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Chatham County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Chatham County enforces a nighttime noise curfew through Sec. 24-304: residential property lines that may run up to 60 dBA by day must fall to 55 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Daytime-only exemptions for domestic power tools, lawn mowers, tree trimmers and electrical tools end at 10 p.m. under Sec. 24-304(2), so running them later is a violation.
Chatham County Nighttime Noise Curfew Hours
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 24-304(1)(a), Table 1; § 24-304(2)
Residential 7 A.M. - 10 P.M. 60 / 10 P.M. - 7 A.M. 55 ... Any zoning district containing the letter "R." ... 2. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to the operation of the following domestic power tools or equipment between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M.: a. Electrical power tools. b. Motor-powered, muffler equipped lawn, garden, and tree trimming equipment.
Construction Hours
Chatham County bars construction, drilling, demolition and utility maintenance noise that crosses a residential property line or a posted Noise Sensitive Area between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. under Sec. 24-308. Even during the day, a reading above 75 dBA at that boundary is automatically deemed a violation, with emergency utility repairs exempt.
Chatham County Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 24-308
No person shall operate or permit the operation of any tools or equipment in construction, drilling, demolition work, or in preventative maintenance work for public service utilities: a. Between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M., in any manner which creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or within a noise sensitive area. b. At any other time, in any manner w...
Barking Dogs
Chatham County Code Sec. 22-108 bars any dog from howling, barking, or making unreasonably loud sounds that disturb the neighborhood's peace, day or night, whether the dog is on private property or not. Trespassers provoking the dog are excluded, as are licensed boarding, breeding, and vet facilities.
Barking Dog Nuisance Rules in Chatham County
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 22-108(b)
§22-108 Nuisances. (b) No person shall allow any animal or fowl which howls, barks, or emits audible sounds that are unreasonably loud or disturbing and which are of such character, intensity and duration as to disturb the peace and quiet of the neighborhood... "barking dog" shall mean a dog that barks, bays, cries, howls intermittently for sufficient time and noise level to be observed by law ...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Chatham County limits amplified sound equipment, radios, loud speakers, sound trucks and similar devices, to 90 dBA measured 50 feet away, and only for county-authorized activities such as fairs, parades, outdoor concerts and civic celebrations. Where the sound reaches residential land, Sec. 24-306(2) further confines use to the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Chatham County Amplified Sound Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 24-306(2)
Sound equipment permitted. Except as hereafter provided, no person shall use, operate or cause to be used or operated any radio, record player, tape deck or player, loud speaker, amplifier, sound truck or other device for producing, reproducing, or amplifying sounds, hereinafter referred to as "sound equipment", upon the public streets or in any building or upon any premises, public or private,...
Decibel Limits
Chatham County caps outdoor sound under its Noise Control Ordinance for the Unincorporated Area, Sec. 24-304. Residential property lines may not exceed 60 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 55 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Business zones are capped at 65 dBA and industrial zones at 75 dBA, both around the clock, with posted noise-sensitive areas held to 55 dBA at all times.
Chatham County Noise Decibel Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 24-304(1)(a), Table 1
Maximum permissible sound levels. With the exception of sound levels elsewhere specifically authorized by this Ordinance, Table 1 sets forth the maximum permissible sound levels allowed at or within the real property boundary of a receiving land use. Any activity or use that produces a sound in excess of such noise levels for a receiving land use shall be deemed a "noise disturbance"... TABLE 1...
Vehicle Noise
Chatham County caps vehicle noise on public roadways at 55 dBA under Sec. 11-109 of the General Offenses chapter. Any vehicle, whether from its stereo, exhaust or engine, that exceeds that level is deemed a noise disturbance and a violation, measured with an ANSI-standard sound level meter.
Chatham County Vehicle Noise Limit on Roads
Some RestrictionsChatham County Code § 11-109
Traffic. No person shall make, continue or cause to be made or continued, except as permitted, any noise disturbance, or any noise from a vehicle on any public roadway in excess of the limits for such noise maximum permissible sound levels of 55 dBs. Any activity or use that produces a sound in excess of such noise levels for a receiving land use shall be deemed a "noise disturbance" and is in ...
All Chatham County ordinances
See every category we cover for Chatham County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Chatham County Ordinance Hub →