Noise from Specific Sources in DeKalb County, GA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
HVAC & Mechanical Noise
DeKalb County's nighttime noise ordinance bars sound that's plainly audible inside a neighbor's sealed home between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., but Code § 16-303(c)(14) specifically excludes 'sound from residential air conditioner units' from that ban. In the unincorporated county, a running condenser or heat pump can't be cited under the residential noise rule, even overnight.
DeKalb County Air Conditioner Noise Exemption
Few RestrictionsDeKalb County Code § 16-303(a), (c)(14)
(a)Single-family detached dwellings. It is unlawful for any person, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., to make, cause, or allow any sound from a source within his ownership or control that projects, emits or transmits into any single-family detached dwelling in a residential area owned or occupied by another, such that the sound is plainly audible anywhere within the interior of a s...
Car Alarm Limits
Unincorporated DeKalb County exempts car alarms from its nighttime noise curfew only if the alarm shuts off within 5 minutes of continuous sounding, or 10 minutes if it beeps intermittently.
DeKalb County Car Alarm Time Limit
Some RestrictionsDeKalb County Code of Ordinances § 16-303(c)(3)
Sound from any automobile alarm, provided such alarm shall terminate its operation within five (5) minutes of its activation if the sound is uninterrupted, or ten (10) minutes, if the sound is intermittent;(4)The generation of sound in situations within the jurisdiction of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration;(5)National Warning System (NAWAS) sounds used to warn the commun...
Delivery Truck Noise
Unincorporated DeKalb County treats delivery-truck noise the same way it treats construction noise. Under DeKalb County Code § 16-304(d), deliveries may only be made between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and they are barred outright on Sundays and six named holidays unless an emergency justifies them.
DeKalb County Delivery Truck Hours Rule
Some RestrictionsDeKalb County Code § 16-304(d)
Construction and demolition activity or deliveries shall only be performed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, or between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. There shall be no construction or demolition activity or deliveries on Sundays or New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Memorial Day, July 4, or Labor Day...
Low-Frequency Bass Limits
DeKalb County's noise code explicitly defines bass reverberations as regulated sound, so thumping subwoofers and car stereos are covered by the same nighttime plainly-audible standard as any other noise.
DeKalb County Bass Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsDeKalb County Code of Ordinances § 16-302
Sound means any oscillation in pressure, particle displacement, particle velocity or other physical parameter, in a medium with internal forces that causes compression and rarefaction of that medium. The description of sound may include any characteristic of such sound, including duration, intensity and frequency. Bass reverberations constitute sound. Sound includes, but is not limited to: (...
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