Barrow County, GA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Barrow County's Unified Development Code addresses aircraft noise through the Airport Hazard Overlay (AHO) District established in article III, division 4, which covers land near the Barrow County Airport (identifier WDR) that lies within the airport's approach zones under section 89-252. Section 89-253(b), titled airport noise; agreement and waiver of rights, makes noise disclosure a condition of development approval rather than a decibel limit: every planning action inside the overlay requires the applicant to sign an agreement with the county acknowledging that airport noise is likely to increase and waiving the right to file formal complaints about it.

That waiver is not just a private contract; the code requires it to be evidenced by an Affidavit of Facts Effecting Title recorded in the Barrow County real estate records, so it runs with the land and binds later buyers. The agreement must also require deeds transferring property in the overlay to carry a standard disclosure paragraph warning that the property is subject to overflights and that residents should expect inconvenience, annoyance or discomfort from normal airport operations. On the construction side, section 89-253(b)(1) pushes buildings in the AHO Zone toward Georgia Power Good Cents insulation standards to cut noise transmission, and any new structure must still meet the separate height restrictions in section 89-405 and the FAR Part 77 airspace limits described in section 89-251.

The AHO District's other restrictions, in section 89-254, add noise-sensitive land use limits, barring uses like schools, hospitals and outdoor theaters from Approach Zones unless the Board of Commissioners grants a special use approval.