Coweta County commissioners direct changes to draft noise ordinance, add 100‑ and 300‑foot measures and keep firearm exemption

County commissioners on Tuesday reviewed a proposed countywide noise ordinance and gave staff direction to revise the draft by adding objective distance measurements and other clarifications while retaining several exemptions.

Mister Fouts, the staff presenter, told the board the draft follows standard code‑enforcement practice on penalties — citing a proposed fine structure that would mirror other code violations and be processed through magistrate court, with the example fine referenced in the draft as $1,000 per day. He also confirmed several source categories are listed as exemptions in the current draft, including train and aircraft noise, fireworks, and agricultural activities.

Commissioners pressed staff on enforcement and evidence. Commissioners and staff agreed enforcement will generally be handled by the sheriff’s office for after‑hours 911 calls and by code enforcement during the day; both agencies log calls in the CAD system, which staff said can document repeated responses and support escalation from warnings to citations.

County attorney Mister Lee warned against subjective wording that courts have historically rejected (words such as “loud,” “annoying,” or “unreasonable”) and proposed objective tests. He recommended two tests used by other jurisdictions: a measurement that captures sound plainly audible inside a sealed dwelling (proposed as 100 feet in the draft) and a separate outdoor distance measurement (proposed at 300 feet). The board discussed those thresholds and the practicalities of variances for one‑time neighborhood events such as block parties.

Commissioner Reidelbach asked to extend weekend hours, proposing 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; commissioners ultimately directed staff to try the hours as written (10 p.m. weekdays, with the option to amend later if complaints show a pattern). Several commissioners emphasized an education‑first enforcement posture, saying most calls are resolved with warnings and conversation.

On firearms, staff noted Chapter 42 of the county code already restricts certain discharges (for example, prohibiting discharge within 100 yards of a dwelling and across property lines). With that statutory context, the board agreed the draft will retain a firearms exemption while continuing to rely on existing ordinance provisions and state law where applicable.

Action and next steps: staff was directed to incorporate the 100‑ and 300‑foot tests, retain the firearm exemption while referencing Chapter 42, and return an amended draft for placement on the board agenda on Nov. 4 for further consideration. There was no formal vote to adopt the ordinance at this meeting; staff described the changes as consensus direction to produce a revised draft.

The board recessed following the noise discussion and moved to the next agenda item on data center regulation.