Stonecrest, GA Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Chapter 18, Article VII of the Stonecrest Code regulates noise, and its definitions section, 18-62, takes care to state that bass reverberations constitute sound, closing off any argument that low-frequency bass is somehow outside the ordinance's reach because it is felt more than heard in the ordinary sense. The same section defines sound to include mechanical sound-making devices such as radios, stereos, boom boxes and sound amplifiers, and defines plainly audible as any sound which can be heard or detected by the unaided and unimpaired human ear, without requiring that words or music be discernible.

Because bass is treated as sound like any other, it falls under the residential quiet-hours rule in section 18-63: between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., it is unlawful to make, cause or allow any sound, including bass reverberations from a stereo or car audio system, that is plainly audible inside a sealed single-family dwelling or in the common area of a multifamily building. Stonecrest does not run a separate decibel or frequency test for residential bass complaints at night; the plainly audible standard governs. In commercial, industrial and mixed-use areas, section 18-65 does add numeric decibel ceilings, up to 70 dB(A) in commercial areas and 80 dB(A) in industrial areas during the day, dropping to 60 dB(A) or 63 dB(C) at night, so a bass-heavy sound source on commercial property can also be measured against those limits with a sound level meter under section 18-68.