Catoosa County, GA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

UDC § 9.05.01(A)(6)(d) declares it a public nuisance to use 'any vehicle that is in a state of disrepair so as to create loud or unreasonable grinding, rattling, backfiring or other noise.' A separate clause, § 9.05.01(A)(5), reaches vehicle stereo bass specifically: it declares a nuisance 'any noise that is unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary,' and singles out 'any bass sound that causes vibrations or rattles adjoining properties or homes.' Both provisions sit inside the same nuisance article that also bars unnecessary use of horns, whistles or compressed-air signaling devices, and sirens other than those on police, fire or emergency vehicles (§ 9.05.01(A)(6)(a)-(b)).

Enforcement runs through the county's standard nuisance procedure: a complaint ordinarily needs an affidavit signed by at least three persons from different households, filed with the Zoning Administrator, though the administrator may also act on his own motion and can decline to pursue a complaint he believes was filed to harass a neighbor (§ 9.05.01(C)(2)-(3)). Once the administrator confirms a violation, he must issue a written notice to abate describing the noise problem and giving a reasonable deadline before the county files an action in Catoosa County Magistrate Court (§ 9.05.01(C)(4)).

A magistrate finding that the vehicle-noise nuisance exists and was not abated is a misdemeanor under § 9.05.01(D)(1), punishable by a fine of not less than $50.00 and not more than $1,000.00 per offense, with each day of continued noise counted as a separate offense.