Cobb County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Cobb County defines 'noise ordinance' in the short-term rental section itself: under § 78-407(c), it means the regulations in chapter 50, article VII of the county code. That cross-reference is not decorative. Subsection (h)(7) requires that any advertising of a short-term rental property, meaning the online listing itself, include the short-term rental certificate number, the maximum occupancy, the maximum number of vehicles allowed, and provisions regulating noise, and states that the same information must also be posted at the rental property. Subsection (h)(8) goes further: a legible copy of the certificate must be posted inside the unit, and it must list five specific items, including at (8)e, 'Provisions regulating noise.' A listing or in-unit posting that skips the noise language does not meet the standard condition, even if the certificate number and occupancy figures are present.

The noise standard operators must disclose is set by chapter 50, article VII: loud noise that disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others is unlawful when it exceeds 70 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:59 p.m., or 65 dBA from 11:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m., measured from the complainant's location. Section 50-258 separately lists specific STR-relevant conduct as violations regardless of decibel reading, including operating radios, phonographs or musical instruments so as to disturb neighboring inhabitants, and running landscaping equipment such as blowers or pressure washers in residential zones between 9:00 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. A short-term rental certificate is required from the business license division under § 78-407(d) before any Cobb County property in a Residential (R) district may be rented for stays under 30 days, and the disclosure duties run to both the owner and the designated short-term rental agent named on the application.