Noise Ordinances in Newport News, VA (2026)
5 verified noise ordinances for Newport News, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Playing music, TVs, or sound systems loud enough to be plainly audible inside a neighbor's closed home or vehicle is banned citywide at any hour under Newport News's noise ordinance.
Newport News Excessive Noise Ordinance
Some RestrictionsNewport News City Code § 28-36
Play, use, operate, or permit to be played, used or operated any television, radio, audio system in a motor vehicle, record, tape or compact disc player, drum, musical instrument, loudspeaker, communication system, amplification system, or any other sound production or reproduction system or device in such a manner that it is plainly audible inside the confines of another person's enclosed dwel...
Barking Dogs
Newport News makes animal or bird noise a public nuisance if it carries across a property line or into a neighbor's home overnight, or repeats once a minute for ten straight minutes at 50 or more feet.
Newport News Noisy Animal & Barking Dog Rules
Some RestrictionsNewport News City Code § 6-9
Any person who shall own, allow, permit, keep or harbor... any animal(s) or bird(s) which creates sound (i) that is plainly audible across property boundaries... between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.; ... or (iv) that is plainly audible at fifty (50) or more feet from the animal(s) or bird(s) at least once a minute for ten (10) consecutive minutes, shall be deemed to have caused or perm...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Newport News bans amplified sound that is plainly audible inside another person's enclosed dwelling unit, and car audio that is plainly audible inside another person's enclosed vehicle. Bass reverberations alone count. A first violation of City Code § 28-36 is a Class 3 misdemeanor, and a second within twelve months is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Newport News Amplified Music and Loud Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsNewport News City Code § 28-36(b), (c)(1), (e)(1)-(2)
Plainly audible means any sound that can be heard by the human ear with or without a medically approved hearing aid or device. Specific words or phrases need not be discernible. The detection of bass reverberations is sufficient to constitute a plainly audible sound. The sound must not be so faint that its source cannot be identified. ... Play, use, operate, or permit to be played, used or oper...
Decibel Limits
Commercial and industrial site plans in Newport News must build in noise abatement measures under the city council's noise abatement policy before the site plan can be approved.
Newport News Site Plan Noise Abatement Rule
Light RestrictionsNewport News City Code § 33.02-48
Noise abatement measures shall be included in accordance with the council-approved noise abatement policy.
Vehicle Noise
Newport News bans playing a car radio, stereo or other amplification system so loudly it's "plainly audible" inside another person's enclosed vehicle, under City Code § 28-36(c)(2). Windows-up loudness is what triggers the citation, not a decibel reading, and the offense escalates from a Class 3 to a Class 2 misdemeanor on a repeat within twelve months.
Newport News Loud Vehicle Stereo Ban
Some RestrictionsNewport News City Code § 28-36(c)(2)
(2) Play, use, operate or permit to be played, used, or operated any radio, audio system, record, tape or compact disc player, drum, musical instrument, loudspeaker, communication system, amplification system, or any other sound production or reproduction system, within a motor vehicle such that it is plainly audible within another person's enclosed vehicle. [...] Enclosed vehicle means a vehic...