Fauquier County, VA Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Chapter 13.5 otherwise limits residential noise sources to 65 dBA in the daytime and 55 dBA overnight measured at the property line or an affected property under Sec. 13.5-3(a), with the nighttime window starting as early as 10:00 p.m. on weeknights. Sec. 13.5-4(a)(13) removes heat pumps and air conditioners from that framework entirely, provided the unit runs in accordance with manufacturer's specifications, meaning a properly installed and maintained HVAC condenser or heat pump running around the clock, including overnight, is not subject to the chapter's sound-level thresholds.

The exemption is conditional rather than blanket: a unit that has been modified, is malfunctioning, or is otherwise running outside its manufacturer specifications loses the protection of Sec. 13.5-4(a)(13) and falls back under the general prohibitions in Sec. 13.5-3(a), including the plainly-audible-inside-a-neighbor's-residence standard that applies independently of the decibel threshold. A neighbor disturbed by an HVAC unit that appears to be malfunctioning or unusually loud for its type therefore has a path to a complaint, but the burden is on showing the unit is running outside spec rather than simply that it is audible.

Enforcement of any resulting violation runs through the county administrator, county attorney's or commonwealth attorney's office, or the sheriff's office and its deputies or animal control officers under Sec. 13.5-5(c).