In this study the generalized inversion technique (GIT) applied on strong motion data for the first time to investigate the attenuation characteristic of shear waves in the north Zagros region. For this purpose, 1507 waveforms recorded at hypocentral distances between 10 and 150 km from 229 strong-motion stations in the Iran Strong Motion Network (ISMN) and a total of 818 local events recorded with moment magnitudes in the range of Mw 3–7.3 occurred between 2006 and 2019 have been analyzed. The quality factor of S waves is estimated by correcting the non-parametric attenuation function for single decay geometrical spreading. The corresponding frequency-dependent quality factor in the frequency range of 2.5-18 Hz is which is in agreement with the quality factor in tectonically active regions. The results of this study are comparable to previous studies in the region.