  Given a nontrivial finite group $G$, we prove the first zero density estimate
for families of Dedekind zeta functions associated to Galois extensions
$K/\mathbb{Q}$ with $\mathrm{Gal}(K/\mathbb{Q})\cong G$ that does not rely on
unproven progress towards the strong form of Artin's conjecture. We use this to
remove the hypothesis of the strong Artin conjecture from the work of Pierce,
Turnage-Butterbaugh, and Wood on the average error in the Chebotarev density
theorem and $\ell$-torsion in ideal class groups.
