Alpharetta, GA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 26-114(a) bars operating any sound source so it exceeds the limits in the code's Table 1, measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property with a slow-response sound level meter. Table 1 sets residential or noise-sensitive facility limits at 60 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 55 dBA overnight; commercial or business property at 65 dBA daytime and 60 dBA overnight; and industrial or manufacturing property at a flat 70 dBA at all times. Section 26-114(b) adds ten dBA to the daytime limits, measured on the fast-response setting, for impulsive sounds under one second with an abrupt onset.

Subsection (c) imposes a separate, stricter rule inside multifamily dwellings: noise cannot exceed 55 dBA in the daytime or 45 dBA at night, measured from the closest neighboring unit rather than the property line. Subsection (d) governs large entertainment venues of 5,000 or more capacity, capping average sound at 95 dBC over any ten-minute period during extended evening hours (until 1:00 a.m. on weekends) and 55 dBC at other times, measured along a line running from the sound board through the facility's center rear for up to 500 feet.

Measurements are taken by police officers trained on ANSI-standard sound level meters under section 26-117, and section 26-116 separately restricts landscaping equipment, construction, trash collection and vehicle stereo noise by time of day regardless of the Table 1 decibel numbers.