Barrow County, GA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Long-duration cap, residential
- 60 dBA at property line
- Long-duration cap, commercial
- 65 dBA at property line
- Long-duration cap, industrial
- 75 dBA at property line
- Short/impulsive sound cap
- 80 dBA, any adjoining district
- Measurement standard
- ANSI A-weighted sound level meter
- Curfew
- no operation 5:30 p.m.-8:00 a.m. absent special use approval
Summary
Outdoor commercial recreation and entertainment uses in unincorporated Barrow County, such as drive-in theaters, amusement parks and go-cart tracks, must keep property-line sound under 60 dBA next to a residential district, 65 dBA next to commercial, and 75 dBA next to industrial land other than heavy industrial, for any sound lasting one second or longer. Short, impulsive sounds are capped at 80 dBA regardless of the adjoining district.
(5)Sound levels at the boundaries of the property shall not exceed the following limits when adjacent to residential, commercial or industrial zoning districts existing at the time of establishment of the outdoor commercial recreation or entertainment operation:a.Long duration sound. For any sound lasting continuously for one second or more, maximum limits are: 60 dBA for projects adjacent to a residential district; 65 dBA for projects adjacent to a commercial district; and 75 dBA for projects adjacent to an industrial district other than heavy industrial.b.Short duration sound. For any sound having a duration of less than one second, including impulsive sound (i.e., sound having an abrupt onset and rapid decay), the limit shall be 80 dBA at the property line when adjacent to a residential, commercial or industrial zoning district.c.Method of sound measurement. These sound levels are to be measured in decibels in accordance with the standards promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and shall be made with a sound level meter using the (a-) weighting scale.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 89-178(a)(5) of the Unified Development Code sets numeric decibel ceilings for outdoor commercial recreation and entertainment uses, a category that covers drive-in theaters, amusement parks, miniature golf, go-cart concessions, tennis centers and outdoor commercial racing. Measured at the property boundary, long-duration sound, meaning any sound lasting continuously for one second or more, cannot exceed 60 dBA where the operation is adjacent to a residential district, 65 dBA adjacent to a commercial district, or 75 dBA adjacent to an industrial district other than heavy industrial.
Short-duration or impulsive sound, lasting less than one second with an abrupt onset and rapid decay, is capped at 80 dBA at the property line regardless of the adjoining district. Readings must be taken in decibels under American National Standards Institute methodology using a sound level meter on the A-weighted scale. unless the Board of Commissioners specifically authorizes different hours as a condition of special use approval. Barrow County applies the identical 60/65/75 dBA long-duration figures and 80 dBA short-duration cap to mining and quarry operations under Sec. 89-177(c)(9); these two use-specific standards are the numeric decibel limits found in this code rather than a single county-wide noise ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Sound levels exceeding the district-based dBA caps, or operating outside the permitted 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. curfew without board authorization, is a Development Code violation for an outdoor commercial recreation or entertainment use. Planning and Community Development and code enforcement can cite the operator under the Code's general penalty, a fine and up to 60 days in jail with each day a separate offense, and the Board of Commissioners can revoke or add conditions to the special use approval that authorized the facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel limit applies to a go-cart track next to my house?
Are short bursts of noise treated differently under this rule?
How is compliance with the decibel limit measured?
Do these decibel limits apply county-wide?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Barrow County
Compare Barrow County to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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