One of the new Board of Commissioners’ priorities is to enact an improved noise ordinance.
The current ordinance applies only after 11 p.m., and it’s too vague to enforce consistently. So, the Marshal’s Office gets lots of complaints they can’t do much about.
Separately, the Special Events Facility regulations completely prohibit outdoor loudspeakers. That’s probably too restrictive. An outdoor wedding usually needs some amplification for voices and music. So, even though it’s illegal, the marshals usually let it go if the sound is at a low level.
We tried to improve the ordinance 10 to 12 years ago, but got such massive resistance that we gave up. We’re trying to go about
it more carefully this time.
One of the difficulties with a noise ordinance is that the sounds that annoy us aren’t necessarily the loudest ones. The most common complaints involve amplified music, gunfire, dirt bikes and industrial operations. Most people don’t mind ordinary and necessary noises like lawn mowing during the day, regular traffic and A/C compressors. But, we don’t like hearing our neighbor’s music, even though it’s quieter than his lawn mower.
The right to own, carry and shoot guns is almost sacred around here, and we’re reluctant to tread on those rights. But, it’s not hunting or moderate target practice that generates the complaints. It’s when someone is abusing their rights by blasting away for hours with thousands of rounds of fully automatic fire.
What we’re looking for is reasonable maximum noise levels for different time periods, with reasonable exceptions. Sound would be measured where it enters someone else’s property. We’re talking about three time periods and standard noise levels as follows:
- Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. 70 decibels. Clearly audible, but moderate. About the level of normal conversation at close range.
- Evening, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. 60 dB. Slightly audible; very muffled.
- Night, 11 p.m.-7 a.m. 50 dB. Virtually inaudible.
We’d need exceptions for regular agricultural, landscaping and construction equipment during the day, and, probably, for reasonable rounds of firearms practice during a limited daytime period in areas where gunfire is not otherwise prohibited.
We might exempt all vehicles legally operating on public roads, at least for now; also, school events and emergencies. At night, some normal noises, like regular A/C compressors, might exceed 50 dB and require exemptions. And, catching chickens to send for processing is
a required agricultural activity that’s noisy, and usually done at night.
Common law would allow existing businesses, whose operations depend on making noise, to be grandfathered in legally under the former ordinance. That would include Dixie Speedway and some other more mundane operations.
So, what do you think? We really want to know. Email me at hjohnston@cherokeega.com.
– Harry Johnston, chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
It might be strange to leave a reply to an article from February. However I believe that the information I will be sharing is helpful for any future consideration of the topic.
I came across this article and read it, and also the following discussion:
https://www.georgiapacking.org/threads/noisy-neighbors-what-are-my-rights-long-read-sorry.196886/
I will suggest that you read this question and all its comments. They illustrate a problem not addressed by any noise ordinance.
The writer, as well as some of the commenters seem to have been victims of a fairly silent torture: subwoofers of stereo systems. The music was not audible but the bass, coming from the other side of the boundary wall was giving them headaches and every time it started, it woke their baby up crying. Some comments pointed to headaches and one lady’s china figurines dancing in their shelves to the vibration caused by the neighbor’s bass. In that case the young man was considerate enough that he covered his wall with cork and “cedar panels in a 45 degree angle” ( I wish I could have a picture, to better understand what he meant) and solved the problem completely.
However, reading those comments made me realize how much trouble stereo systems pose for neighbors even if it is not too loud.
Maybe ordinances should measure inaudible vibration, maybe with a seismograph or other tool, that are produced by stereo system or other equipment of neighbors.
Maybe construction guidelines should consider, the same way as firewalls are required between neighbors, that when sharing a wall between properties, some form of insulation be placed to avoid the vibration from someone’s stereo or other equipment to get through the wall to the neighbors property.
This would remove friction between neighbors and spare some from headaches and misery and maybe even avoid damage to the structure, since having that constant vibration every day might even be bad for the building.
The reason I believe it should be addressed separately is that many of the people commenting said that they were not able to hear the music, only the vibration. In that case, when calling the police and have them measure decibels, it will be at accepted levels while the vibration by the subwoofers is causing health problems and damaging the property (dancing figurines on the shelf) of the neighbors.
When having shared walls, it is important to consider proper sound insulation including infra sound insulation and ordinances should require that it is done so to avoid a cause of tension between neighbors and to avoid suffering in the case of those on the receiving end of the stereo buff’s love of bass.
We should keep in mind that new construction and retrofitting older one should solve the problem of dealing with all that modern electronics provides, like surround sound not reaching the neighbors.
Fortunately I have never been in that situation but I pity those with a thin wall between them and their neighbors.
I have a music venue next door to my home. Many, many nights I cannot hear the music inside my home, but the base is unreal. When all the windows and doors are closed and my bedroom is on the other end of the house from the venue, the base sound is so annoying. On occasion this has gone on until after midnight any night of the week. Needless to say, it is impossible to fall asleep. Since I have to work the next day, I feel sleep deprived. I don’t know the decimal of the music, but something definitely needs to be done.
I completely agree. My neighbor is exactly the same. I’ve even told them to turn it down but to no avail it’s still continues. There really needs to be a new ordinance to help with these disrespectful people. I completely understand the hardships you face.
We have a major issue with Woodstock recycling on Dixie drive we live on quail run in Woodstock which backs up to Dixie drive they make noise from 6:45am to usually 6:00pm it is now 8:00pm and they are still making noise so loud it shakes our house we have complained and filed reports with the marshals office and Cherokee sheriffs office on weekends when marshals are not working nothing ever comes of it we lived here before they moved from the other side of Dixie dr. To right behind our house we have 2 young children who go to bed early and many evenings wake the baby’s back up because our house shakes when they drop large prices of metal in the dumpsters behind us everyone on our street is sick of it but nothing is being done
I’m also just reading this. Dupree road has a huge problem with traffic at all hours. Large trucks during the day. LOUD noise from the motorcycles and cars at night. Foot traffic is on the rise which is causing a whole new problem.
I moved to Woodstock 26 years ago, when it was a nice, peaceful, middle to upper class community. It’s not that way today. With the population growth and all the lower income housing being built, came many residents with vehicles that have performance mufflers on them. Translation: “loud as hell mufflers.” In the evenings and throughout the weekends now, just about every couple minutes you’ll hear somebody roaring off from a stop, or racing down the street at high, unsafe speeds, making as much noise as they can, just so they are noticed. These are narcissists. This affects everyone in our community. Not only are they causing a hazard, they are creating unnecessary noise and air pollution. What if everyone did this? Everyone put a performance muffler on your car and go roaring around town. Life would be unbearable! Did it ever dawn on these people, that some people work a second or third shift and need to sleep during the day? Then these narcissists roar by their house, waking them up?
Another problem I have, is probably a dozen or more of these loud vehicles take a shortcut through my neighborhood, to another, lower income neighborhood. They should be leaving and entering their neighborhood through the main entrance, to minimize disturbing the peace of so many people. The hills in this area make the noise even worse, as they make much more noise going uphill.
Something needs to be done about this, now! I would recommend making performance mufflers illegal. Cars that currently have them, would have two years to replace the muffler on their cars. At least reduce the decibel levels. I should not hear anything much louder than the friction of somebody’s tires going past my house. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Why ignore some of the most annoying noise there is, from all these loud vehicles? It makes no sense.
I have recently bought a house in 2018 at unincorporated Acworth area, in Cherokee county. Several of my neighbors have EXTREMELY LOUD EXHAUST SYSTEM. There are at least 4 cars that goes in and out of my street speeding their sports car but since we do not have an HOA, they get away with it. LOUD + SPEEDING. I called the Marshalls several times, no action. I even spoke to a police and told me they are NOT going to do anything about it. So here I am getting awaken every morning at 6am and multiple times I cannot sleep during the day because who knows when they’ll come. WHY MAKE A LAW IF THE POLICE OR THE MARSHALLS AREN’T GOING TO ENFORCE IT? Noise is harmful to the environment, unnecessary loud noise is detrimental to one’s health and a stressor. We already live in a stressful world as it is and we have these LAWS sitting here and THE POLICE and MARSHALLS WONT do anything about it? Do we need to escalate this issue to the state representative?
I meant interested in knowing why my comment made a few weeks ago, about loud car noise, was not posted here. Please advise.
My previous comment, pending posting, was “I’m interested in knowing,” not “I meant…”
Anyone know how loud Dixie Speedway is and how far the sound travels across Woodstock? We’re considering purchasing a new home that is about 1 mile from the speedway and wonder if the noise during races will be loud and we should look further away. Do noise ordinances apply to Dixie Speedway?