Roswell, GA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Roswell, GA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Construction noise decibel exemption
- 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., every day
- Separate construction-activity hours (§ 5.1.13)
- 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Mon-Sat
- After-hours construction permit
- Written application to chief building inspector
- Outside exempt hours
- 70 dBA day / 60 dBA night residential limit applies
- First offense fine
- $100 to $1,000 civil penalty
- Repeat offense
- Up to $2,000 fine and/or 6 months jail
- Hardship relief
- 30-day permit from Zoning Administrator
Summary
Roswell, Georgia's noise ordinance exempts private and commercial construction noise from the city's decibel limits only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Outside that window construction sound must meet the same Table 1 limits (70 dBA residential daytime, 60 dBA at night) as any other noise source, enforced under Code of Ordinances § 8.8.3(s).
(2)Sound level limitations.a.No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit a domestic animal or the operation of any sound source in such a manner as to create a sound level that exceeds the sound level limits set forth in Table 1 when measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property. Such a sound source would constitute a noise disturbance. ... (3)Exemptions...b.The following are exempt from the sound level limits:...12.Noise that results from construction both private and commercial between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 17 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
Section 8.8.3(s) of the Roswell Code of Ordinances declares "unnecessary noise" a public nuisance and sets a base rule: no person may operate a sound source that exceeds the sound level limits in the ordinance's Table 1 (70 dBA/70 dBC for residential, public, institutional or noise-sensitive property from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., dropping to 60 dBA/60 dBC from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; 70/65 for office/commercial by time of day; 70 dBA at all times for industrial). Subsection (3)(b) then lists sounds exempt from those decibel limits altogether, and item 12 covers construction specifically: "Noise that results from construction both private and commercial between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m." is exempt from Table 1.
That 9:00 p.m. cutoff is nine days a week wide, not limited to weekdays, but it only exempts the noise from the decibel cap; a separate provision, Section 5.1.13 (Construction Activities Restricted to Certain Hours), independently bars construction activity itself, including excavation, grading, and loading/unloading, outside 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, unless the chief building inspector has issued a written after-hours permit. A resident doing construction at their own home is exempt from the 5.1.13 permit requirement but is still bound by the 8.8.3(s) noise restrictions.
Anyone who believes strict enforcement would cause undue hardship may apply under 8.8.3(s)(7) to the Zoning Administrator for a special administrative permit granting temporary relief, valid up to 30 days, with appeals of a denial going to the city council; no such permit may be issued for amplified sound.
Violations & Fines
Code Enforcement Officers or police measure sound with a calibrated meter and may issue a municipal court citation. Under § 8.8.3(s)(8), a first offense carries a civil penalty of $100 to $1,000, a second offense $500 to $1,000, and any further offense becomes a criminal fine up to $2,000 and/or up to six months incarceration; the judge may also order immediate abatement, with noncompliance treated as contempt of court.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can construction noise legally happen in Roswell, GA?
Does construction noise still have to meet Roswell's decibel limits?
Can a homeowner work on their own house after normal construction hours?
What happens if a contractor violates Roswell's construction noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roswell
Compare Roswell to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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Construction Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fulton County handle construction hours.