How to file a noise complaint in Cherokee County

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Cherokee County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Cherokee County noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily; Sundays also until 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m.
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some noise, other tests for the rest
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Cherokee County Code Chapter 26 Article II (Noise)

Official text: Cherokee County Code Chapter 26 Article II (Noise), Secs. 26-36 to 26-45. Code of Ordinances, County of Cherokee, Georgia on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 2026-O-001, enacted January 20, 2026. (Supp. No. 39)", online content updated on June 24, 2026 (version dated Jun 24, 2026): Chapter 26 (Environment), Article II (Noise), enacted by Ord. No. 2023-O-013, adopted Oct. 17, 2023, which repealed the former Article II (derived from the Ord. of 2-26-80, the Ord. of 10-14-86 and Ord. No. 2003-O-008) and enacted a new one: Secs. 26-36 to 26-39, 26-41 to 26-43 and 26-45 (Ord. No. 2023-O-013, 10-17-23); Sec. 26-40 (Ord. No. 2023-O-013, 10-17-23; Ord. No. 2025-O-006, § 1 (Exh. A.), 6-17-25); Sec. 26-44 (Ord. No. 2023-O-013, 10-17-23; Ord. No. 2024-O-010, § 1, 8-6-24). The code's front page on Municode shows no list of adopted ordinances not yet codified. Sec. 1-12 (General penalty), which Sec. 26-45(a)(3) cites for the penalty, was read in the same version (Ord. No. 91-7, § 1, 7-9-91; Ord. No. 96-02, 1-26-96; Ord. No. 96-18, § 1, 11-22-96; Ord. No. 2017-O-008, § 1, 11-7-17). Chapter 10 (Animals) was not read on Municode; the barking rule is given as the Cherokee County Marshal's Office states it. Text read 2026-11-09..

Where to file in Cherokee County

To report a noise violation in unincorporated Cherokee County, call 678.493.4080, the number the Cherokee County Marshal's Office gives for Code Enforcement and Animal Control requests for service, and call 911 for an emergency. The Marshal's Office lists the noise ordinance among its Code Enforcement questions, and the County Solicitor-General's office says county ordinance violations are investigated by Deputy Marshals. The Marshal's contact page gives the same number, 678.493.4080, for E 9-1-1. Its Animal Control FAQ says to call it from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for an Animal Control Officer, and from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. as the Sheriff's Office non-emergency number, when the local law enforcement agency will assist. Those hours are stated for barking and nuisance animals; no page read gives hours for other noise calls. Other numbers on County pages: Marshal's Office 678.493.6200 and Sheriff's Office 678-493-4200. The Marshal's Office also has an online Request a Call for Service form with the types Animal Control, Code Violation and Other; the page says it is not continuously monitored. Penalty: a violation is punishable, upon conviction, as provided in Sec. 1-12 of the County Code, and the magistrate's court of the county has jurisdiction (Sec. 26-45(a)(3)). Sec. 1-12 sets the punishment at a fine not exceeding $1,000 or 60 days imprisonment, or both, and makes each day a violation continues a separate offense. The Marshal's FAQ says that unless a citation says "Must see the judge" the fine can be paid, and that Magistrate Court, 678.493.6431, can say how much it is. A violation is also declared a public nuisance that a court can stop by restraining order or injunction, and the Board of Commissioners may start proceedings to end a special use permit, business license or other county approval (Sec. 26-45(a)(1), (2)). For a barking dog, the Animal Control FAQ counts vocalizations for more than 15 minutes without interruption, or more than 30 minutes if intermittent; the owner first gets a written warning, provided the complainant gives the owner's address and describes the disturbance, and if it is not resolved within two days, or a different person at a different location complains, a court summons is issued. The article covers only unincorporated Cherokee County. Inside a city, call that city's police; the Solicitor-General's page lists Ball Ground 770-735-2123, Canton 770-720-4883, Holly Springs 770-345-5537 and Woodstock 770-592-6030. Sources: https://www.cherokeegamarshal.org/contact-us, https://www.cherokeegamarshal.org/copy-of-your-opinion-matters, https://www.cherokeegamarshal.org/ce-faq, https://www.cherokeegamarshal.org/ac-faq, https://www.cherokeecountyga.gov/solicitor-general/law-enforcement/ and https://www.cherokeecountyga.gov/solicitor-general/ORDINANCE-PROSECUTION/.

From the county's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-09. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the county's main switchboard can redirect you.

Before you call

Log it. Date, start and end time, what the noise was and where you heard it from. Three dated entries carry more weight than one angry call.
Measure it if you can. Cherokee County sets measured limits for some noise, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Cherokee County: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily; Sundays also until 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. The Cherokee County noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the county does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.

What happens after you file

Noise reports often wait behind urgent calls, so a first call may not end the noise that night. What it does is start a record against the address. Repeated reports, a dated log and a reading are what move a case from a warning to a citation. Where the county needs an officer to witness the noise, as most audibility rules require, file while it is happening rather than the next morning.

How loud is it nearby? The Atlanta noise map shows the federal transportation-noise data for every neighbourhood, and the apartment quiet hours page compares every city's night rule.

Who do I call for a noise complaint in Cherokee County?

What are the quiet hours in Cherokee County?

11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily; Sundays also until 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Cherokee County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Cherokee County?

Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use the non-emergency police line or the department named above; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.

What evidence helps a noise complaint in Cherokee County?

Cherokee County uses decibel limits for some noise and other tests for the rest, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; the rules above say which applies.

This page is a plain-language guide to the reporting route, not legal advice. Ordinances and contact numbers get amended; check the linked official sources before relying on a specific provision.