Forsyth County, GA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Forsyth County, GA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Hours allowed
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Covers
- excavation, demolition, pile drivers, jackhammers, hoists
- Dumpster noise
- same 7am-9pm window
- Daytime dB exemption
- does not extend past 9pm cutoff
- Penalty
- up to $1,000 fine, 60 days jail
- Variance
- available via appeals board for hardship
Summary
Forsyth County limits construction and repair noise, excavation, demolition, pile driving, jackhammers and similar equipment, to the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. under Section 34-153(4). Work outside that window is unlawful even though it falls inside the county's separate daytime decibel exemption window, absent a special variance.
(4)Construction or repair of buildings. The erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building, as well as the operation of any pile driver, steam shovel, pneumatic hammer, derrick, steam or electric hoist, or any other similar equipment, attended by loud or unusual noise, other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. is prohibited...Whenever in this Code or in any other ordinance of the county any act is prohibited...where no specific penalty is provided, the violation of such provision shall be punishable by the imposition of a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of time not to exceed 60 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment, or up to the limits of any penalty provided by state law for the ordinance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 43).
Full Breakdown
cutoff in subsection (4). is not protected by the decibel exemption and is squarely in violation of the hours limit, even if the noise stays under 70 dB(A). window. 00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, or up to whatever higher limit state law allows for the ordinance, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. window, for a genuine hardship, can apply to the appeals board for a special variance through the planning and community development department, which weighs the hardship against the impact on nearby residents before ruling, with any denial appealable to the board of commissioners.
Violations & Fines
Operating covered construction equipment, or emptying a dumpster, outside the 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window is a citable violation regardless of decibel level. Absent a specific fine in Article IV, the county's general penalty in Section 1-12(a) applies: up to $1,000.00, up to 60 days in county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense in Magistrate Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can construction noise start and stop in Forsyth County?
Is construction noise exempt from Forsyth County's daytime decibel limit?
What's the penalty for running construction equipment too late in Forsyth County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
How Forsyth County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Forsyth County to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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