Richmond, VA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Richmond, 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 9:00 p.m. daily
- Enforcing agency
- Police, via Emergency Communications call for service
- First violation
- $100 civil penalty (Sec. 11-38)
- Third violation
- $500 within 14 days of first
- After-hours work
- Needs written CAO authorization
Summary
Richmond exempts construction, repair, remodeling, demolition and grading noise from its sound ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. under Sec. 11-36(8). Work outside that window, absent written authorization from the Chief Administrative Officer for safety or funding-deadline reasons, loses the exemption and falls under the general Sec. 11-37 decibel limits enforced by police, with civil penalties starting at $100.
Activities related to the construction, repair, maintenance, remodeling, demolition, grading, or other improvements of or to real property and any structures thereon between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and during other hours when the Chief Administrative Officer or the designee thereof has expressly authorized the relevant activity in writing for reasons related to the health or safety of persons engaged in the activity or for reasons related to Federal or State funding requirements
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Recodification).
Full Breakdown
The City's sound control article, Sec. 11-32 through 11-38, generally bars sound exceeding set dBA thresholds (65 dBA day/55 dBA night at single-family/duplex properties per Sec. 11-37(a)), enforced by the Chief of Police per Sec. 11-34, triggered only by a call for service to the Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response. Sec. daily. Outside that window, the Chief Administrative Officer or a designee can still authorize work in writing, but only for reasons related to health or safety of workers or federal or state funding requirements.
are no longer covered by the exemption and can be cited under the general dBA limits in Sec. 11-37 the same as any other sound source. Complaints go through a call for service; officers issue a notice of violation under Sec. 11-38, and the civil penalty structure applies. This exemption sits alongside a parallel carve-out for domestic power tools under Sec. window but covers lawn and garden equipment rather than construction machinery.
Violations & Fines
Running construction equipment outside the 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. exemption window without written Chief Administrative Officer authorization exposes a contractor to the Sec. 11-38 civil penalty schedule: $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within seven days, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation within 14 days, with each additional hour counted as a separate offense. Unpaid penalties can be pursued as a warrant in debt in Richmond General District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can construction crews work in Richmond before 7 a.m.?
What happens if a contractor is caught running equipment at 10 p.m.?
Does the construction exemption cover weekend work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richmond
How Richmond compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Richmond to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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