Noise from Specific Sources in Arlington County, VA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Arlington County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Bar & Nightclub Noise
Bars and restaurants with outdoor seating in Arlington's Mixed Use Districts face a late-night quiet rule. Code § 15-6.O makes the manager on duty responsible for stopping patrons in an outdoor café or rooftop seating area from yelling, wailing or shouting loud enough to reach a nearby home between midnight and 6:00 a.m.
Arlington Rooftop Bar Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsArlington County Code § 15-6.O
O. It shall be unlawful for the owner, manager, assistant manager, and other person in charge of a retail use located within any Mixed Use District, which includes an outdoor café, exterior rooftop seating area, or other use or activity in the exterior of the retail use to permit any person, while in the outdoor café, exterior rooftop seating area, or other exterior location, to engage in yelli...
Generator Noise
Arlington County exempts emergency backup electric generators from its noise rules outright. Section 15-5.F.6 removes "electricity-generating systems used to provide emergency backup electric power" from the Table I and Table II decibel limits and from the § 15-6 list of prohibited noisy acts, including the Nighttime restrictions.
Arlington County Backup Generator Noise Exemption
Few RestrictionsArlington County Code § 15-5.F.6
F. Exemptions. In addition to the exemptions procedure set forth in § 15-12, the following activities or sources of noise shall be exempt from the prohibitions set forth in this § 15-5, Tables I and II of this section, and § 15-6: ... 6. Electricity-generating systems used to provide emergency backup electric power.
Delivery Truck Noise
Arlington County limits how loud a delivery truck can legally be on county streets. Code § 15-5.B routes all motor vehicle noise, including delivery and box trucks, through Table II: vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight cannot exceed 86 dBA below 35 mph or 90 dBA at highway speed, measured from 50 feet away.
Arlington County Delivery Truck Noise Limits
Some RestrictionsArlington County Code §§ 15-5.B, 15-5.C.2 and Table II
B. Motor vehicle noise sources. Motor vehicle noise sources are subject to the noise limits set forth in Table II below. ... 2. Any noise measurement made to determine compliance with subsection B. of this section shall be taken at a distance of at least fifty (50) feet from the noise source. ... TABLE II MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE NOISE FROM MOTOR VEHICLES Class of Source Vehicle Up to 35 miles per h...
Low-Frequency Bass Limits
Beyond its overall dBA ceiling, Arlington County's Table I sets separate octave-band limits reaching down to 31.5 Hz, the deep bass range that A-weighted meters underrate. Industrial zones cap 31.5 Hz at 85 dB and 63 Hz at 84 dB; residential zones at night cap those same bands at 70 dB and 69 dB.
Arlington County Low-Frequency Octave Band Noise Caps
Some RestrictionsArlington County Code § 15-5, Table I (Octave Band Center Frequency)
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE NOISE LEVELS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES ... Zoning District Time of Day Continuous Noise (dBA) Impulsive Noise (dB) 'Continuous' Center Octave Octave Band Center CM, M-1 & M-2 P-S All 70 120 Frequency (Hz) dBA component 31.5 85 63 84 125 79 250 74 500 68 1,000 62 2,000 57 4,000 53 8,000 50
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