Stonecrest, GA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Commercial daytime cap
- 70 dB(A)
- Industrial daytime cap
- 80 dB(A)
- Mixed-use daytime cap
- 70 dB(A) or 73 dB(C)
- Mixed-use overnight cap
- 60 dB(A) or 63 dB(C)
- Measured at
- Property line of affected property
Summary
In the City of Stonecrest, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use sound is capped by number, not just by the clock. Sec. 18-65(b) sets a 70 dB(A) daytime ceiling for commercial areas, 80 dB(A) for industrial areas, and 70 dB(A)/73 dB(C) for mixed-use developments, dropping to 60 dB(A)/63 dB(C) overnight from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
(b)No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any property within commercial areas, industrial areas, mixed-use developments that exceeds 70 dB(A) in commercial areas; 80 dB(A) in industrial areas; and 70 dB(A) or 73 dB(C) in mixed-use developments from the hours of 7:01 a.m. until 10:59 p.m. or 60 dB(A) or 63 dB(C) from the hours of 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. Sound shall be measured at any location at or within the property line of the affected property, and sound levels in excess of those established in this section shall constitute prima facie evidence that such sound is in violation of this article.
Full Breakdown
Division 2 of the noise article applies these decibel limits to "all sound emitting from property in all commercial and industrial areas and all mixed-use developments within the city" under Sec. 18-65(a). The numeric ceilings in subsection (b) run higher during the day, 7:01 a.m. to 10:59 p.m., 70 dB(A) for commercial property, 80 dB(A) for industrial property, and a dual A/C-weighted standard of 70 dB(A) or 73 dB(C) for mixed-use developments, and drop for the overnight window, 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., to 60 dB(A) or 63 dB(C) in mixed-use developments, mirroring the residential nighttime protections found elsewhere in the article.
Measurement is not left to guesswork: sound "shall be measured at any location at or within the property line of the affected property," and a reading over these thresholds is written into the code as "prima facie evidence" of a violation, shifting the practical burden onto the source once the number is exceeded. Subsection (c) adds a separate, non-numeric rule for the same hours: no plainly audible sound may reach a residential dwelling from a nearby commercial, industrial, or mixed-use property between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., regardless of the decibel reading.
Subsection (d) then imports the entire Sec. 18-63(c) exclusion list, motor vehicles, alarms, agricultural sound, and the rest, into these commercial and industrial zones "as if fully set forth in this section," so the same carve-outs that protect a homeowner's air conditioner also protect equivalent sources on commercial property.
Violations & Fines
A reading above the applicable dB(A)/dB(C) ceiling is prima facie evidence of a violation under Sec. 18-65(b), and Sec. 18-70 sets minimum fines of $200.00 for a first conviction, $500.00 for a second within 12 months, and $1,000.00 for a third within 24 months, plus a possible court-ordered abatement of the sound source, measured by a trained code enforcement officer under Secs. 18-67 and 18-68.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the daytime noise limit for a commercial business in Stonecrest?
Does the limit change at night?
Do the same exemptions for cars and alarms apply to commercial noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stonecrest
Compare Stonecrest to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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