Terms of Service

Last updated: April 2026

Direct Terms of Service & Legal Framework Summary

Local Cherokee Terms of Service govern platform access, verified directory use, and commercial listings in Woodstock, Canton, and Cherokee County, GA. Governed under Georgia state law and O.C.G.A. Title 9, these terms establish binding arbitration, 48-hour DMCA turnaround, and strict prohibitions against automated scraping or unauthorized commercial republication.

Cherokee County Statutory Compliance & Operational Standards: Local Cherokee administers verified directory profiles for over 150 business entities across Woodstock (30188), Canton (30114), and Ball Ground (30107). All terms enforce statutory compliance under City of Canton municipal codes, Georgia commercial codes O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62, O.C.G.A. § 16-9-93 (Computer Systems Protection), O.C.G.A. § 10-1-910 (Data Security), and contractor licensing standards under O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8 and O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6. Profile verification cycles occur every 180 days, requiring active $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 commercial liability coverage, 100% verified physical addresses, 48-hour DMCA notice turnaround under 17 U.S.C. § 512, 30 days written notice for account modifications, 60 days dispute resolution filing windows, and 0% unauthorized consumer data disclosure.

How do we govern Local Cherokee legal terms and statutory standards?

Our legal terms operate under Georgia civil practice statutes and municipal standards in compliance with City of Canton guidelines and O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62 statutory provisions:

Legal Domain Statutory Governance Authority Empirical Enforcement Window
Jurisdiction & Venue State Court of Cherokee County / O.C.G.A. Title 9 Binding venue in Canton, GA (30114)
DMCA Copyright Notices 17 U.S.C. § 512 / Federal Copyright Office < 48 business hours investigation turnaround
Data Extraction Prohibitions Computer Systems Protection / O.C.G.A. § 16-9-93 Immediate IP firewall restriction
Contractor Accuracy Audits Professional Licensing / O.C.G.A. Title 43 180-day bi-annual compliance verification cycle

1. Acceptance of Terms & Legal Authority

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Local Cherokee ("Local Cherokee," "we," "us," or "our"), governing your access to and use of localcherokee.com, including all subdomains, directories, articles, guides, digital tools, and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

By accessing, browsing, interacting with, or using any portion of the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, pursuant to the Georgia Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (O.C.G.A. § 10-12-1 et seq.). If you do not agree to these Terms in their entirety, you are strictly prohibited from using the Platform and must discontinue use immediately.

2. Nature of Platform: Independent Editorial Directory & Informational Resource

Local Cherokee is an independent digital publishing platform and business directory celebrating the commerce, culture, and community of Cherokee County, Georgia. Local Cherokee is not a law firm, healthcare provider, licensed general contractor, engineering consultancy, real estate brokerage, or financial advisory institution.

All content published on the Platform, including editorial articles, comparison matrices, municipal regulatory guides, business profiles, and estimated fee schedules, is provided exclusively for general informational, educational, and journalistic purposes. Nothing on this Platform constitutes, nor should be construed as:

3. Consumer Due Diligence & Mandatory Verification

While Local Cherokee strives to publish accurate and current information, municipal ordinances, building codes, corporate registrations, and business operations change frequently. You expressly acknowledge and agree that:

4. Independent Commercial Third Parties & Complete Hold-Harmless

All commercial entities, professional practices, contractors, vendors, and establishments listed or reviewed on Local Cherokee are independent third-party entities. Local Cherokee does not own, operate, supervise, direct, or control the operations, workmanship, or representations of any third-party business.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER GEORGIA LAW, YOU EXPRESSLY RELEASE, WAIVE, AND AGREE TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS LOCAL CHEROKEE, ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, WRITERS, AND AFFILIATES FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LIABILITIES, LOSSES, DAMAGES, DISPUTES, LITIGATION, INJURIES (INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY, BODILY HARM, OR WRONGFUL DEATH), PROPERTY DAMAGE, MECHANIC'S LIENS, MATERIAL DEFECTS, OR PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR HIRING, SELECTION, OR COMMERCE WITH ANY BUSINESS OR CONTRACTOR LISTED OR MENTIONED ON THE PLATFORM.

5. Nominative Fair Use of Trademarks & Directory Disclosures

All product names, corporate names, brand marks, and registered trademarks displayed or cited on the Platform are the property of their respective owners. Local Cherokee’s mention of corporate trademarks (including, without limitation, municipal bodies, national franchises, local venues, or commercial enterprises) is made strictly under the doctrine of Nominative Fair Use pursuant to the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)) to identify the entities and services in question.

Such nominative references do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, or commercial partnership by or with the trademark holders unless expressly identified with a [Featured Partner] or [Sponsored Directory Partner] designation pursuant to FTC Guidelines (16 CFR Part 255).

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM AND ALL CONTENT, ARTICLES, DATA, DIRECTORY LISTINGS, AND INTERACTIVE TOOLS ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE GEORGIA LAW, LOCAL CHEROKEE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FREEDOM FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES OR HARMFUL CODE.

WE DO NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THAT THE INFORMATION ON THE PLATFORM IS COMPLETE, ERROR-FREE, ACCURATE, UNINTERRUPTED, OR CURRENT.

7. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL LOCAL CHEROKEE, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, OWNERS, EDITORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF REVENUE, LOST PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, OR PROPERTY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM, OR YOUR RELIANCE UPON ANY EDITORIAL CONTENT OR DIRECTORY LISTING, REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR NEGLIGENCE), AND EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT SHALL LOCAL CHEROKEE’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS, DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00 USD).

8. User Conduct & Prohibited Activities

When using the Platform, you agree not to: (a) scrape, index, harvest, or systematically extract directory listings, editorial text, or database files using automated scrapers, spiders, or artificial intelligence extraction tools without prior written consent, (b) impersonate any individual or enterprise, (c) attempt to gain unauthorized access to server infrastructure or security tokens, (d) submit fraudulent or defamatory content, or (e) use the Platform for any purpose in violation of municipal, state, or federal laws.

9. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Takedown Policy

Local Cherokee respects intellectual property rights and complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (17 U.S.C. § 512). If you believe in good faith that any editorial material, photograph, or listing on the Platform infringes your copyrighted work, you or your designated agent may submit a formal DMCA Notification containing:

  1. Physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or person authorized to act on their behalf.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  3. Identification of the material claimed to be infringing, including the specific URL on localcherokee.com.
  4. Your contact information (name, physical address, telephone number, and email address).
  5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  6. A statement made under penalty of perjury that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Formal DMCA notices must be directed to: DMCA Agent, Local Cherokee Legal Compliance via email at legal@localcherokee.com with the subject line "DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringement".

10. Dispute Resolution, Governing Law & Cherokee County Jurisdiction

These Terms, and all claims or causes of action arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform, shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance with the substantive and procedural laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

EXCLUSIVE VENUE: You irrevocably and unconditionally consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the Cherokee County Superior Court (Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit) or, if federal jurisdiction applies, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division). You explicitly waive any defense of lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, or forum non conveniens.

WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL & CLASS ACTION: YOU AND LOCAL CHEROKEE HEREBY MUTUALLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY PROCEEDING ARISING FROM THESE TERMS. FURTHERMORE, ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

11. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Local Cherokee regarding your use of the Platform, superseding all prior oral or written agreements.

12. Contact & Legal Notices

For questions regarding these Terms or formal legal inquiries, please contact our administrative team at legal@localcherokee.com or via our official Contact Form.