Portsmouth, VA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 24-255(f)(11)
- Default status
- Alarms exempt while sounding briefly
- Trigger for violation
- Not silenced within reasonable time
- First offense
- Class IV misdemeanor, up to $250
- Repeat offense (12 mo.)
- Class III misdemeanor, up to $500
- Enforcing agency
- Portsmouth Police Department
Summary
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.
(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.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
), 65 dBA in a residential zone by day, and 75 dBA in a commercial zone. ' In practice, a car alarm triggered by a bump or a false sensor is not, by itself, a violation no matter how loud it registers. The clock starts once the alarm activates: if the owner does not shut it off within a reasonable time, the ordinance's protection falls away and the ongoing sound is judged as excessive sound under the general provisions, exposing the owner to the same penalties as any other noise violator.
Officers do not need a decibel reading to act once the reasonable-time window has passed, because failing to silence the alarm removes the exemption rather than triggering a separate measured-sound test. The ordinance does not define 'reasonable period of time' in minutes, leaving that judgment to the responding officer based on the circumstances at the scene.
Violations & Fines
A vehicle or burglar alarm not silenced within a reasonable time is punished under § 24-255(g): a first offense is a Class IV misdemeanor, fined up to $250.00 under § 1-11(a)(4). A second or later violation of § 24-255 within 12 months of a prior conviction is a Class III misdemeanor, fined up to $500.00. The Portsmouth Police Department investigates alarm-noise complaints; a resident may also seek civil injunctive relief under § 24-255(h).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Portsmouth police ticket me just for a car alarm going off?
What counts as a 'reasonable period of time' to silence an alarm?
What is the penalty if my alarm isn't silenced in time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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