How to file a noise complaint in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

DeKalb County noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: no sound plainly audible inside another's closed house
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some noise, other tests for the rest
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	DeKalb County Code Chapter 16 Article VII (Noise Ordinance)

Official text: DeKalb County Code Chapter 16 Article VII (Noise Ordinance), Secs. 16-301 to 16-311. Code of DeKalb County, Georgia on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 2025-1606, enacted December 16, 2025. (Supp. No. 72)", online content updated on September 2, 2026 (version dated Sep 2, 2026): Chapter 16 (Miscellaneous Provisions and Offenses), Article VII (Noise Ordinance): Sec. 16-301 and Secs. 16-303 to 16-309 (Ord. No. 10-20, Pt. I, 11-16-10); Sec. 16-302 (Ord. No. 10-20, Pt. I, 11-16-10; Ord. of 7-23-19(1), Pt. I); Sec. 16-310 (Ord. No. 10-20, Pt. I, 11-16-10; Memo. of 2-9-22); Sec. 16-311, consumer fireworks (Ord. of 7-23-19(1), Pt. I). Municode lists five adopted ordinances not yet codified (adopted 6/23/26 to 8/25/26); none is titled as a Chapter 16 or sound change. Pending, not law in the text read: Board of Commissioners file 2025-0015, "An Ordinance to Amend The Code of DeKalb County, Georgia Chapter 16 Pertaining To Regulation Of Sound And For Other Purposes", which the committee minutes of April 28, 2026 record as held in committee; the files read hold no later Board record, so whether it has since been adopted is not shown here. Sec. 1-10 (General penalty; continuing violations), which Sec. 16-310(b) cites for the fine and imprisonment, was read in the same version; its history ends with a Memo. of 9-23-20. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-14 was not read. Text read 2026-11-09..

Where to file in DeKalb County

For noise happening now in unincorporated DeKalb County, call the County's E-911 Communications non-emergency line, 678-406-7929, and call 911 for an emergency. The E-911 page says its center answers emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatches police, lists non-urgent police matters among the uses of that line, and warns that waits can be long because 911 calls take priority. The Police Department's Contact Us page lists a second number, Non-Emergency 404-294-2911, for police reports and general questions. No County page read for this row names a number for noise complaints, so these are the lines the County's pages support. The article may be enforced by police officers, code compliance officers and the sound control administrator, who is the police chief or a designee (Secs. 16-309(a), 16-310(a)). Code Compliance Administration is at 404-687-3700 and codeenforce@dekalbcountyga.gov, and takes reports through an online Submit a Code Violation form that requires a valid address within unincorporated DeKalb County. Its pages do not mention noise and say initial inspections typically occur within 3 business days, so it is not a route for noise in progress. Penalty: on conviction a violator is subject to fine and/or imprisonment in accordance with Sec. 1-10 of the County Code, with minimum fines the court must impose of not less than $200 on a first conviction, $500 on a second within 12 months of the first conviction, and $1,000 on a third within 24 months of the first (Sec. 16-310(b)). Sec. 1-10(c) sets the ceilings: a fine not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed 120 days, or a combination, where the summons, citation or accusation is personally served on the accused; a fine not exceeding $500 where the summons or citation is served by leaving a copy at the premises, mailing a copy to the owner and publishing notice; and each day a continuing violation lasts is a separate offense. The sound control administrator may issue warnings before or in place of citations (Sec. 16-309(a)(6)). Barking is covered by the same article (Sec. 16-304(b)). For noise at a short-term rental, the County runs an STR Complaint Hotline, 770-727-1051, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and strcomplaints@dekalbcountyga.gov. Aircraft noise from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport goes to the airport's noise office, pdknoise@dekalbcountyga.gov or the hotline 770-936-5442, which is not answered by a live person; the article itself excludes aircraft operations where federal rules preempt. General county information is at 404-371-2000, the Citizen Help Center. The article covers only the unincorporated areas, so inside a city contact that city. Sources: https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/public-safety/e-911-communications, https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/public-safety/police/contact-us, https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/code-compliance, https://epermits.dekalbcountyga.gov/submit-record, https://engagedekalb.dekalbcountyga.gov/short-term-rental, https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/airport/noise-program and https://dekalbcountyga.gov/residents/report-311.

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. DeKalb 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 DeKalb County: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: no sound plainly audible inside another's closed house. The DeKalb 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 DeKalb County?

For noise happening now in unincorporated DeKalb County, call the County's E-911 Communications non-emergency line, 678-406-7929, and call 911 for an emergency.

What are the quiet hours in DeKalb County?

11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: no sound plainly audible inside another's closed house. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the DeKalb County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County?

DeKalb 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.