Noise Ordinances in Roanoke County, VA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Roanoke County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Roanoke County's noise ordinance runs a general 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew across a list of specific activities in § 13-21, including repairing or rebuilding a motor vehicle loudly enough to be plainly audible fifty feet away. Violating any clause of the article is a Class 3 misdemeanor under § 13-22, rising to a Class 2 misdemeanor for a repeat offense within a year.
Roanoke County's 10 p.m.-7 a.m. Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 13-21(2)
The following acts are declared to be noise disturbances in violation of this article unless specifically excepted in section 13-19. ... (2)Repairing, rebuilding or modifying any motor vehicle or other mechanical equipment or device between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day in a manner so as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty (50) feet or more from the vehicle.
Construction Hours
Construction, repair, alteration or demolition equipment cannot run in Roanoke County between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Section 13-21(1) of the county code lists that overnight work, whether on a building, street, road or alley, as a noise disturbance in itself, without any need to show a specific decibel level.
Roanoke County Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 13-21(1)
(1)Engaging in, or operating or causing to be operated any equipment used in the construction, repair, alteration or demolition of buildings, streets, roads, alleys or appurtenances thereto between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day.
Barking Dogs
Roanoke County treats a dog's noise as a public nuisance once it's plainly audible at least once a minute for ten straight minutes, either inside a neighbor's dwelling or fifty feet from the animal, under County Code § 5-27(a). Animal control can impound a repeat offender, and both the county and the affected neighbor can bring civil proceedings.
Roanoke County Barking Dog Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 5-27(a)
(a)The harboring or keeping of any dog that causes any sound or noise such that it is plainly audible at least once a minute for ten (10) consecutive minutes:(1)Inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house or apartment of another; or(2)At fifty (50) or more feet from the animal; is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and shall be unlawful.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Exterior loudspeakers and other sound-amplification equipment, whether mounted on a building, a vehicle, or used indoors to broadcast outside, cannot run between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in Roanoke County. Section 13-21(6) makes that a noise disturbance whenever the amplified sound serves an outdoor area for advertising, announcements, entertainment or similar purposes.
Exterior Amplified Sound Curfew in Roanoke County
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 13-21(6)
(6)Using or operating a loudspeaker or other sound amplification devices in a fixed or movable position exterior to any building, or mounted upon any motor vehicle or mounted in the interior of a building with the intent of providing service to an exterior area for the purpose of commercial advertising, giving instruction, information, directions, talks, addresses, lectures, or providing entert...
Aircraft Noise
Roanoke County's noise ordinance does not reach aircraft. Section 13-19 of the County Code lists twelve categories of sound exempt from the noise-disturbance rules in Chapter 13, Article II, and item (11) names 'locomotives and other railroad equipment, and aircraft' outright, alongside emergency alerts, worship services, school athletics and licensed parades.
Aircraft Noise Exempt in Roanoke County
Few RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 13-19(11)
The provisions of this article shall not apply to: ... (11)Locomotives and other railroad equipment, and aircraft.
Decibel Limits
Roanoke County's only numeric decibel limit in its code applies to small wind energy systems: the zoning ordinance caps their noise at 60 dBA measured at the closest property line. The county's general noise ordinance at § 13-21 instead uses a "plainly audible" standard, not a decibel meter, so this wind-turbine cap is the sole hard number in the code.
Wind Energy System Noise Limit Roanoke County
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 30-87-6(B)7
7.Noise: The wind energy system shall not exceed sixty (60) decibels (dBA), as measured at the closest property line, except during short-term events such as severe windstorms.
Vehicle Noise
Roanoke County treats two kinds of vehicle sound as noise disturbances any time of day, not just overnight: driving without a factory-equivalent muffler on a public street or in a residential zone, and playing a car radio or audio system loud enough to be plainly audible fifty feet or more from the vehicle. Both are set out in § 13-21(7) and (8).
Vehicle Muffler and Stereo Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 13-21(7), (8)
(7)Using or operating any motor vehicle without factory installed mufflers or their equivalent conforming to sections 46.2-1047 and 46.1-1049 of the Code of Virginia, on any public street or road in the county or on private property within a residential zoning district. ... (8)Using a radio receiving set, an audio cassette player, a compact disc player, or other device for the production of sou...
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