Alpharetta, GA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 26-116(6) targets amplified sound coming from vehicles rather than fixed property: 'No person shall operate, play, or permit the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, or similar device in such a manner as to create a continuing noise disturbance at 50 feet from such device, when operated in or on a motor vehicle on a public right-of-way or public space.' Because this standard sits in section 26-116, which applies notwithstanding the provisions of section 26-114(a), officers do not need a sound level meter reading against the citywide 60/55 dBA property-line limits to act; the 50-foot 'continuing noise disturbance' test stands on its own.

The rule is limited to a motor vehicle on a public right-of-way or public space, so it does not reach music played inside a private driveway or on private property, which instead falls under the general limits in section 26-114(a) if a neighbor complains. Muffler and engine-noise problems are addressed separately: section 26-113 defines a muffler as a sound-dissipative device that must be part of a vehicle's normal configuration, and unmuffled exhaust noise that disturbs a reasonable person can independently trigger the general 'noise disturbance' definition in section 26-113. Alpharetta police officers respond to and measure these complaints under section 26-117.