Portsmouth, VA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Portsmouth, VA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Exempt hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Governing section
- City Code § 24-255(f)(1)
- After hours standard
- Must meet § 24-255(d) dBA limits
- Government construction
- No hour limit, § 24-255(f)(3)
- First offense
- Class IV misdemeanor, up to $250
- Repeat within 12 months
- Class III misdemeanor, up to $500
Summary
Construction equipment gets a break from Portsmouth's noise ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Outside that window, City Code § 24-255(f)(1) withdraws the exemption, meaning a jobsite running after 8:00 p.m. or before 7:00 a.m. must comply with the ordinance's dBA limits and per se rules like any other sound source.
(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.(2)The operation of lawn care maintenance equipment such as power mowers, chain saws, and string trimmers, and vehicles for the removal of debris, garbage or refuse with properly working mufflers between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.(3)The repair, maintenance or construction of federal, state, regional, or local governmental facilities.
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
' Read with the rest of the ordinance, daytime and evening construction work, no matter how loud, is not judged against the 55/65/75 dBA thresholds in subsection (d) or the per se offenses in subsection (c) as long as it stays within that thirteen-hour window. , the exemption no longer applies and construction noise is measured the same as any other sound source, subject to the residential and commercial dBA ceilings set out in subsection (d). The same subsection separately exempts, under (f)(3), 'the repair, maintenance or construction of federal, state, regional, or local governmental facilities' without any hour restriction, so government construction projects are treated differently from private construction.
cannot point to the general construction exemption to avoid a citation; the sound must instead meet the numeric limits that apply to everyone else at that hour, and subsection (f)(12) offers the only other route out, prior written authorization from the chief of police or a designee.
Violations & Fines
Construction noise outside the 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. window that exceeds the § 24-255(d) dBA limits is a Class IV misdemeanor on a first offense (fine up to $250.00), rising to a Class III misdemeanor (fine up to $500.00) for a repeat violation within 12 months under §§ 24-255(g) and 1-11(a). The Police Department enforces on complaint using a certified sound meter, and the city may seek an injunction under § 24-255(h) against a persistent late-night jobsite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can construction crews legally make noise in Portsmouth?
Can a contractor run equipment after 8:00 p.m. with a permit?
Does the construction exemption apply to government projects at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
How Portsmouth compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Portsmouth to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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