Gwinnett County, GA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Daytime limit
- 500 feet or more, 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
- Overnight limit
- 200 feet or more, 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.
- Standard
- Plainly audible to any person
- Applies to
- Any building in a nonresidential zoning district
- Coverage
- Unincorporated Gwinnett only
- Noise permit
- Sec. 38-50, at least 20 business days ahead
Summary
In unincorporated Gwinnett County, sound coming from any building in a nonresidential zoning district is a noise violation when it is plainly audible 500 feet or more away during the day or 200 feet or more away overnight. The rule is in Gwinnett County Code of Ordinances § 38-47(2)a.1, and the measure it uses is whether a person can plainly hear the sound at the stated distance.
Making, causing, allowing, or permitting any sound from a source within such person's ownership or control that projects, emits or transmits from any building in a nonresidential zoning district so that the sound is plainly audible to any person at the times and distances set forth in the table below... Sunday-Thursday 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. 500 feet or more; 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. 200 feet or more.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
Section 38-47(2)a.1 is aimed at the person who owns or controls the source of the sound. It covers making, causing, allowing, or permitting the sound, so a Gwinnett property owner or business operator can be responsible for noise they did not personally create when the source is within their ownership or control. The sound must project, emit or transmit from a building in a nonresidential zoning district, which takes in offices, retail, warehouses and other nonresidential buildings.
The test is whether the sound is plainly audible to any person at the times and distances in the section's table. From Sunday through Thursday, between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., the distance is 500 feet or more. From 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the distance drops to 200 feet or more, so the overnight standard is the stricter of the pair. On Friday and Saturday the daytime window runs later, until 11:59 p.m.
Doors used for normal ingress and egress are exempt, but they cannot be propped open to leak sound. Outdoor speakers within 20 feet of a doorway must face away from it. County Police and the Department of Planning and Development enforce the rule.
Gwinnett County's noise code covers only the unincorporated area. Each of the county's 16 cities has its own noise ordinance, so a business inside Lawrenceville or Duluth answers to that city's rules instead of § 38-47.
Violations & Fines
The first violation draws a written warning. A second violation within 12 months is a $250 fine, a third is $500, and later violations run up to $1,000 each.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far can sound from a Gwinnett County business carry at night?
Does this apply inside Lawrenceville or Duluth?
Can a business leave its doors open while sound is playing inside?
Can a business get relief for a loud event?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gwinnett County
Compare Gwinnett County to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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