Henrico County, VA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Henrico County, VA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Covered activity
- Construction, demolition, street/lot cleaning
- Zoning exemption
- Urban mixed-use zoned areas excluded
- Governing code
- Henrico County Code Sec. 10-68(5)
- Max fine
- $2,500 for a third offense in 10 years
- Charge trigger
- Magistrate summons or officer's direct witness
Summary
Henrico County bars construction, demolition and street-or-parking-lot cleaning noise that is plainly audible in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., under Sec. 10-68(5). The window runs an hour shorter than the county's general 11:00 p.m.-to-7:00 a.m. noise curfew, and the rule does not apply in areas zoned urban mixed use.
(5) Street cleaning and construction. The creation of any sound or noise between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. that is plainly audible in a residential area, except those areas zoned for urban mixed use, when the sound or noise is produced in connection with: a. The cleaning of streets or parking lots; or b. Construction or demolition activities.
Full Breakdown
Sec. that is plainly audible in a residential area when the sound comes from cleaning streets or parking lots, or from construction or demolition activities. , that other noise sources do not. The prohibition is geographic as well as time-limited: it applies only in residential areas and specifically excludes areas zoned urban mixed use, where construction and street-cleaning noise carries no overnight restriction under this section. As with the rest of Sec. window. Enforcement runs through Sec. 10-67: a neighbor must appear before a magistrate to request a summons, or a police officer must witness the noise directly.
A conviction carries a fine up to $500 for a first offense, up to $1,000 for a second within five years, and up to $2,500 for a third within ten years, with each night of continued work treated as a separate offense. The county can also pursue civil abatement of a construction-noise nuisance independent of any criminal fine.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction is punishable by a fine up to $500, a second within five years up to $1,000, and a third within ten years up to $2,500. Every night the prohibited construction or cleaning noise continues past 11:00 p.m. counts as a new offense. A charge requires either a magistrate summons requested by a neighbor or a police officer's direct observation of the noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours are construction and street-cleaning noise banned in Henrico?
Does the construction-noise curfew apply in mixed-use zoned areas?
What is the penalty for construction noise after 11 p.m. in Henrico?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henrico County
How Henrico County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Henrico County to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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