Noise Ordinances in Richmond, VA (2026)
6 verified noise ordinances for Richmond, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Construction Hours
Richmond exempts construction, repair, remodeling, demolition and grading noise from its sound ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. under Sec. 11-36(8). Work outside that window, absent written authorization from the Chief Administrative Officer for safety or funding-deadline reasons, loses the exemption and falls under the general Sec. 11-37 decibel limits enforced by police, with civil penalties starting at $100.
Richmond Construction Noise Exemption Hours
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 11-36(8)
Activities related to the construction, repair, maintenance, remodeling, demolition, grading, or other improvements of or to real property and any structures thereon between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and during other hours when the Chief Administrative Officer or the designee thereof has expressly authorized the relevant activity in writing for reasons related to the health or safety...
Barking Dogs
Richmond bars owners from letting a dog, cat or other animal create sound that is plainly audible inside a neighbor's dwelling, or 50 feet away, at least once a minute for ten straight minutes, under Sec. 11-37(g). The standard is audibility-based rather than a decibel reading, and enforcement is complaint-driven through the Chief of Police.
Richmond Barking Dog Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 11-37(g)
No person shall allow any animal or bird to create sound such that it is plainly audible inside the confines of another person's dwelling unit, house, or apartment at least once a minute for ten consecutive minutes or 50 feet or more from the animal or bird.(h)Restaurants or other establishments serving food or beverages. No person shall permit, operate, or cause any source of sound to emanate ...
Leaf Blower Rules
Richmond exempts domestic power tools such as mowers, chain saws and weed eaters from its sound ordinance only when operated between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. with a standard muffler or sound-dissipating device, per Sec. 11-36(9). Running a leaf blower or mower outside those hours, or without a muffler, forfeits the exemption and exposes the operator to the general dBA limits and Sec. 11-38 civil penalties.
Richmond Leaf Blower and Yard Tool Hours
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 11-36(9)
The operation of domestic power tools such as power lawn mowers, chain saws, and weed eaters, used in connection with lawn care, leaf removal, gardening, tree maintenance or removal or other landscaping, lawn, or timbering activities, provided the operation of such equipment is limited between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and such equipment is operated with a standard muffler or sound d...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Richmond caps outdoor amplified and acoustic music at 75 dBA measured ten feet from the instrument or speaker between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., dropping to 65 dBA overnight, under Sec. 11-37(i)'s outdoor sound standard. The limit applies to any musician or sound device operating outside an enclosed structure, not just street performers, and is enforced by police on complaint.
Richmond Outdoor Amplified Sound Limits
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 11-37(i)
No person shall play a musical instrument or operate any device emitting sound, outside of an enclosed structure which, at a distance of ten feet from the instrument or device, exceeds 75 dBA between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. or 65 dBA between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Decibel Limits
Richmond sets numeric sound ceilings by property type in Sec. 11-37: 65 dBA measured anywhere on a house or duplex lot between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., dropping to 55 dBA overnight, with separate thresholds for apartments, schools, places of worship, health care facilities, restaurants and street performers. Police enforce the limits with calibrated sound meters on complaint only.
Richmond Property Noise Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 11-37(a)
No person shall operate a device or otherwise create sound which, when measured from any point on a property containing a house or a duplex, exceeds 65 dBA between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. or 55 dBA between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Vehicle Noise
Richmond enforces vehicle noise through Virginia Code 46.2-1049 (adequate muffler) and local Chapter 38 rules. Modified exhaust, loud stereos audible at 50 feet, and engine revving are citable offenses.
Noise: Vehicle Noise
Some RestrictionsVa. Code § 46.2-1049
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 installed as standard factory equipment, or comparable ...