Noise Ordinances in Chesapeake, VA (2026)
8 verified noise ordinances for Chesapeake, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Chesapeake bars loud loudspeakers, music, construction, and yelling that carry across property lines between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. weeknights, and until 8 a.m. on Sundays. The city manager's administrator, usually the police chief or zoning administrator, enforces it citywide.
Chesapeake's 10 PM Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124
The following acts are declared to be prohibited if conducted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day Monday through Saturday and between 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. the following Sunday and generating sound plainly audible i) across real property boundaries; ii) through walls or partitions common to two units within a building; or iii) at a distance of 50 feet ...
Construction Hours
Construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or excavation noise in Chesapeake is barred overnight: 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on weeknights and 10:00 p.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday, whenever the sound carries across a property line, through a shared wall, or 50 feet from the site. Chesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124(3) sets the cutoff.
Chesapeake Construction Noise Curfew Hours
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124(3)
Sec. 26-124. - Noise-Prohibited acts 10:00 p.m.-6:30 a.m. The following acts are declared to be prohibited if conducted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day Monday through Saturday and between 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. the following Sunday and generating sound plainly audible i) across real property boundaries; ii) through walls or partitions common to two ...
Barking Dogs
Chesapeake bans keeping an animal that howls, barks, meows, or squawks for more than 10 minutes in any 30-minute stretch between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., if the noise carries 50 feet or across a property line, under Sec. 26-126.
Chesapeake Barking Dog Nighttime Limit
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-126
It shall be unlawful to own, keep, possess or harbor any animal which howls, barks, meows, squawks or makes such other noise for more than ten consecutive or non-consecutive minutes in any 30-minute period of time, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day, if throughout the ten-minute period, the noise generated by the animal is plainly audible (i) across real property bo...
Leaf Blower Rules
Running a leaf blower, lawn edger, power fan, or other gas or electric powered equipment is banned in Chesapeake from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. weeknights, and to 8 a.m. Sundays, if the noise carries across a property line or 50 feet.
Chesapeake Leaf Blower & Power Equipment Hours
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124(4); Sec. 26-122
The following acts are declared to be prohibited if conducted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day Monday through Saturday and between 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. the following Sunday and generating sound plainly audible i) across real property boundaries; ii) through walls or partitions common to two units within a building; or iii) at a distance of 50 feet ...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Loudspeakers, stereos, and other amplified sound in Chesapeake go quiet at 10:00 p.m. on weeknights and stay that way until 6:30 the next morning, with a later Sunday cutoff of 8:00 a.m. Chesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124 bans the noise if it carries across a property line, through a shared wall, or 50 feet from the source.
Chesapeake Amplified Sound Curfew Hours
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-124(1)
Sec. 26-124. - Noise-Prohibited acts 10:00 p.m.-6:30 a.m. The following acts are declared to be prohibited if conducted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day Monday through Saturday and between 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. the following Sunday and generating sound plainly audible i) across real property boundaries; ii) through walls or partitions common to two ...
Aircraft Noise
Aircraft noise is fully exempt from Chesapeake's noise ordinance. Sec. 26-141(8) excuses all aircraft under FAA jurisdiction from the article, so nearby flight operations, including at Chesapeake Municipal Airport, are not enforceable local noise violations.
Chesapeake Aircraft Noise Exemption
Few RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-141(8)
The following activities shall be exempt from this article: ...(8)Noises generated by all aircraft under the jurisdiction the Federal Aviation Administration.
Decibel Limits
Chesapeake caps sound measured on a neighbor's property at 55 dBA overall in residential areas and 60 dBA in commercial and agricultural areas, with octave band limits from 31.5 Hz to 8,000 Hz. Hammering, amplified bass or a pure tone drops the limit by five dB. Sec. 26-130 sets the meter rules and the table.
Chesapeake Noise Decibel Limits by Zoning Class
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 26-130(b), (c) and Table 1
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsection (a) of this section, no person shall operate or cause to be operated any source of sound at any location within the city or allow the creation of any noise on property he or she owns, leases, occupies or otherwise controls, which causes the sound level, measured on any other property, to exceed the maximum dBA (Column 1) or maximum dB (...
Vehicle Noise
Vehicle noise in Chesapeake includes restrictions on modified exhaust, squealing tires, and loud car audio. Sound systems audible at 50 feet can be cited under City Code Chapter 38. State law (VA 46.2-1049) requires all vehicles to have properly maintained mufflers.
Noise: Vehicle Noise
Heavy RestrictionsVa. Code § 46.2-1049
§ 46.2-1049 . Exhaust system in good working order. No person shall drive and no owner of a vehicle shall permit or allow the operation of any such vehicle on a highway unless it is equipped with an exhaust system in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual levels of noise, provided, however, that for motor vehicles, such exhaust system shall be of a type ins...