Henrico County, VA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Henrico County, VA, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Distance test
- 50+ feet in residential areas, 11 p.m.-7 a.m.
- Anytime test
- Audible inside a neighbor's home, any hour
- Commercial exemption
- Urban mixed-use zoned establishments exempt
- Daytime exemption
- Recreational/nonresidential property, 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Governing code
- Henrico County Code Sec. 10-68(2)
- Daytime enforcement
- Requires officer's direct observation, Sec. 10-67(b)
Summary
Henrico County bars any radio, speaker, stereo or musical instrument from being plainly audible 50 or more feet away in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or inside another person's home at any hour, under Sec. 10-68(2). Commercial establishments in urban mixed-use zones, and recreational or nonresidential property between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., are exempt.
(2) Sound-producing and sound-reproducing devices. a. The use, operation, or playing of any radio, phonograph, television, projector, record, compact disc, tape, digital music, MP3 or DVD player, musical instrument, microphone, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or similar device designed or used for producing or reproducing sound, regardless of whether such sound-producing or sound-reproducing device is located inside of a structure or outside of or on a structure, in such a manner or with such volume or duration that it is plainly audible: 1. Inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house, or apartment of another person; or 2. In residential areas, at 50 or more feet from the device between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. b. The prohibition in subsection (2)a of this section does not apply: 1. When the source of the sound is in a commercial establishment located in areas zoned for urban mixed use; or 2. Between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., when the source of the sound is a recreational or athletic facility or commercial, industrial, or other nonresidential property.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-68(2) of Henrico's Article III noise chapter names the equipment covered in detail: radio, phonograph, television, projector, record, compact disc, tape, digital music, MP3 or DVD player, musical instrument, microphone, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or similar device designed or used for producing or reproducing sound. It does not matter whether the device sits inside a structure or outside on one. specifically, it also cannot be plainly audible 50 or more feet from the device in a residential area. m. Enforcement is unusually specific for this subsection: Sec.
, closing off magistrate-summons enforcement during those hours. Fines follow the article-wide scale: up to $500 for a first conviction, $1,000 for a second within five years, and $2,500 for a third within ten years, with each day of continued noise a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction carries a fine up to $500, rising to $1,000 for a second conviction within five years and $2,500 for a third within ten years. Daytime violations, between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., can only be charged if a police officer directly witnesses the noise; nighttime violations can also be charged after a complainant requests a magistrate's summons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Henrico's sound-equipment rule apply during the day?
Are outdoor speakers at a restaurant or bar exempt?
What counts as a 'sound-reproducing device' under the ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henrico County
Compare Henrico County to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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