Portsmouth, VA Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 24-255(c)(4) and (d)
- Night limit (residential)
- 55 dBA, 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
- Day limit (residential)
- 65 dBA, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Commercial zone limit
- 75 dBA, any hour
- Muffler defect
- Per se offense, no reading needed
- Waste-vehicle exemption
- 7 a.m.-8 p.m. only, garbage/debris trucks
Summary
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.
(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 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., sound meeting or exceeding 55 dBA.(2)Residential zones; day. In a residential zone between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., sound meeting or exceeding 65 dBA.(3)Commercial zones. In a commercial zone, sound meeting or exceeding 75 dBA.
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
, and 75 dBA in a commercial zone at any hour. that pushes measured sound at the property line to 55 dBA or above is a violation like any stationary sound source. Separately, subsection (c)(4) makes it a per se offense, no decibel reading required, for a person to operate 'a motor vehicle that generates loud exhaust sound without having a muffler that meets all applicable motor code requirements,' language that reaches a delivery truck's engine and exhaust directly. ' That exemption is written narrowly for waste-collection trucks and does not extend to parcel carriers, freight trucks, or other commercial delivery vehicles, which remain fully subject to the general dBA limits and the muffler rule around the clock.
Violations & Fines
Excessive sound from a delivery truck is a Class IV misdemeanor on a first offense, fined up to $250.00, rising to a Class III misdemeanor and a fine up to $500.00 for a second violation of § 24-255 within 12 months, per §§ 24-255(g) and 1-11(a). The Police Department responds to noise complaints using a certified sound level meter to document the reading; the city or a private party may also pursue an injunction under § 24-255(h).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do delivery trucks get an exemption from Portsmouth's noise ordinance?
Can a loud delivery truck exhaust be cited without a decibel meter?
What decibel level makes an early-morning delivery illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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