Arlington County, VA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

shall not exceed the noise limits set forth in Table I below for each of the zoning districts indicated during the time of day indicated," and that "the maximum permissible noise shall be that associated with the zoning district classification of the property that receives the noise," meaning the limit that governs is set by where the sound lands, not where it originates. Table I's continuous-noise (dBA) and impulsive-noise (dB) ceilings run, at all times, 70 dBA / 120 dB in the industrial CM, M-1, M-2 and P-S districts, and 65 dBA / 100 dB in the C-1, C-2, C-3 and related commercial and office districts.

Residential and apartment districts (R-5 through R-20, the RA series and S-3A/S-D) get a Daytime ceiling of 60 dBA / 95 dB and a stricter Nighttime ceiling of 55 dBA / 90 dB. C from any built street's curb or pavement edge, or from the receiving property; inside a multi-unit structure, measurement instead comes from a common area or, with the resident's consent, from a point at least four feet from the nearest wall, ceiling, floor or window, doors closed and windows in a normal seasonal position. F or § 15-15, such as emergency backup generators and county-sponsored athletic events, are not held to these figures.