Noise from Specific Sources in Portsmouth, VA (2026)
4 verified noise from specific sources rules for Portsmouth, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Car Alarm Limits
Portsmouth's noise ordinance exempts burglar and vehicle alarms from its decibel limits and per se noise offenses while they are sounding. Under City Code § 24-255(f)(11), an owner who lets the alarm keep blaring loses that exemption once it runs past a reasonable time, and the alarm is then treated as ordinary excessive sound.
Portsmouth's Rule on Vehicle and Burglar Alarms
Light RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 24-255(f)(11)
(f)Exceptions. This section shall not apply to:(1)The operation of construction devices used in construction activities between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.... (11)Burglar alarms or vehicle alarms, except that this exemption shall not apply if the owner of the property or vehicle fails to terminate the sounding of the alarm within a reasonable period of time.
Generator Noise
A home or business generator in Portsmouth must stay under the same decibel ceilings as any other sound source: 55 dBA at night and 65 dBA by day in a residential zone, or 75 dBA in a commercial zone, measured at the property line under City Code § 24-255(d). Nothing in the ordinance's exception list carves out generators.
Portsmouth Backup Generator Noise Limits
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 24-255(d)
(d)Offenses requiring scientific measurement of sound levels. The following sound levels shall be deemed to be excessive sound in violation of this section, when measured outside the real property line of the sound source. The zone shall be determined by where the sound is measured, not where it is generated.(1)Residential zones; night. In a residential zone between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., so...
Delivery Truck Noise
Delivery trucks get no special break in Portsmouth's noise code: they're held to the same dBA limits as any other sound source under City Code § 24-255(d), and a rig with a defective muffler is a separate offense under § 24-255(c)(4). Only garbage and debris-removal trucks earn an hours-based exemption; parcel and freight carriers do not.
Portsmouth Delivery Truck Noise Standards
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 24-255(c)(4), (d)
(c)Per se offenses...(4)A person operating a motor vehicle that generates loud exhaust sound without having a muffler that meets all applicable motor code requirements...(d)Offenses requiring scientific measurement of sound levels. The following sound levels shall be deemed to be excessive sound in violation of this section, when measured outside the real property line of the sound source. The ...
Low-Frequency Bass Limits
Blasting a car stereo's bass hard enough to be felt is a stand-alone offense in Portsmouth, no decibel meter required. City Code § 24-255(c)(2) makes it illegal to run a vehicle sound system that creates 'physically perceptible vibrations' in another vehicle, or that drowns out conversation, a car radio, or a phone call through closed windows.
Portsmouth Car Stereo Bass and Vibration Rule
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 24-255(c)(2)
(c)Per se offenses. The following activities are deemed to comprise creating excessive sound in violation of this section, without any requirement of scientific measurement of sound levels:...(2)A person operating a sound system in a motor vehicle at a sound level that, when heard in another vehicle with the windows closed, interferes with normal conversation, interferes with normal use or enjo...