Noise complaints › Forsyth County

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

Official text: Forsyth County Code Chapter 34 Article IV (Noise), Secs. 34-151 to 34-157, with the barking rule in Chapter 14, Sec. 14-37. Code of Forsyth County, Georgia on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 96-H, adopted September 18, 2025. (Supp. No. 43)", online content updated on May 8, 2026 (version dated May 8, 2026): Chapter 34 (Environment), Article IV (Noise), which an amendment of October 20, 2003 enacted in place of the former article (derived from Ord. No. 80, adopted May 5, 1998): Sec. 34-151 (Amendment of 10-20-2003); Sec. 34-152 (Amendment of 10-20-2003, § I); Sec. 34-153 (Amendment of 10-20-2003, § II; Ord. No. 80-A, § 1, 7-19-2018; Ord. No. 80-B, 6-19-2025), which Municode marks as modified in this version; Sec. 34-154 (Amendment of 10-20-2003, § III); Sec. 34-155 (Amendment of 10-20-2003, § IV); Sec. 34-156 (Amendment of 10-20-2003, § V; Amd. of 12-1-2011); Sec. 34-157 (Ord. No. 80-A, § 2, 7-19-2018). Sec. 14-37 (Animals disturbing the peace) was read as printed on the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Animal Control page; Municode's search results confirm the section number and title, but the section was not opened on Municode. Municode lists six adopted ordinances not yet codified (adopted 2/5/26 to 10/1/26); none is titled as a noise change. The Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-12 (General penalty; continuing violations) in Chapter 1 (General Provisions), was read in the same version. O.C.G.A. § 15-10-60, which Sec. 34-153(9)b cites for penalties, was not read. Text read 2026-11-09..

Where to file in Forsyth County

For noise happening now in unincorporated Forsyth County, call the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office 24-hour non-emergency dispatch line, 770.781.3087, and call 911 for an emergency. The County's film permit page says violations and any questions related to the noise ordinance are handled through the Sheriff's Office, and the code has a code enforcement officer or Sheriff's officer take any decibel reading (Secs. 34-153(10)c, 34-157(c)). The Sheriff's contact page also lists Permits & Ordinance at 770.781.2105 and headquarters at 770.781.2222. Forsyth County Code Compliance (main line (678) 513-5893, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) is named beside the Sheriff's Office as an enforcer in Sec. 34-153(9)b. The County's Report a Problem page takes a Code Compliance Complaint through its online reporting portal or the Connect2Forsyth mobile app, and says Code Compliance accepts anonymous complaints but cannot give follow-up information on them. That page describes Code Compliance reports as violations of the Unified Development Code and does not name noise, so the Sheriff's line is the route the County's pages support for a noise problem. Penalty: Sec. 34-153(9)b says the Sheriff's Office and Code Compliance may issue a citation for prosecution in Forsyth County Magistrate Court for each violation of the article, and that penalties there are governed by the maximum identified in O.C.G.A. § 15-10-60. The article prints no dollar figure (its former penalty section, Sec. 34-157, was replaced in 2018 by the sound measurement section), and that statute was not read for this page. The County Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-12, covers acts made unlawful where no specific penalty is provided: a fine not to exceed $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both, or up to the limits of any penalty state law provides for the ordinance, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense. A citation or warning under the residential decibel limits goes to the owner of the dwelling or property the noise came from (Sec. 34-153(12)). For a barking dog, call Sheriff's Office Animal Services (Animal Control), 770.781.2138: its page says the offense can be reported to Animal Control to investigate. The article covers only the unincorporated areas of the county, so inside the City of Cumming check with the city. Sources: https://www.forsythsheriff.org/resources/contact-us/, https://www.forsythsheriff.org/resources/animal-services/, https://www.forsythco.com/government/departments/planning-community-development/film-and-video-production-permit/, https://www.forsythco.com/government/departments/building-licensing/code-compliance/ and https://www.forsythco.com/report-a-problem/.

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

1. 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.
2. Measure it if you can. Forsyth 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.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Forsyth County: Night limits 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction only 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Forsyth County noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
4. 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 Forsyth County?

For noise happening now in unincorporated Forsyth County, call the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office 24-hour non-emergency dispatch line, 770.781.3087, and call 911 for an emergency.

What are the quiet hours in Forsyth County?

Night limits 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction only 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Forsyth County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Forsyth 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 Forsyth County?

Forsyth 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.