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

Section 30-87-6, adopted by Ord. No. 030811-1 on March 8, 2011, regulates small wind energy systems as accessory uses in Roanoke County (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem). Among the numbered general standards in (B), clause 7 sets a noise limit of 60 decibels (dBA), measured at the closest property line, with an exception during short-term events such as severe windstorms when wind noise naturally spikes. This sits alongside other siting standards in the same section: towers must maintain a galvanized steel finish unless FAA rules require otherwise under (B)2, system height is capped at 80 feet on parcels up to one acre and 100 feet on larger parcels under the table in (B)3, and setbacks must equal at least 110 percent of tower height from all property lines and roadways under (B)4, any of which can be relaxed with a special use permit.

Outside the wind-energy context, Roanoke County does not regulate noise by a decibel number: the general noise ordinance at Chapter 13, § 13-21, lists specific acts, such as amplified music or construction equipment, as unlawful when they are "plainly audible" at a specified distance or across a property line, rather than setting a dBA threshold measured by meter. So the county's only quotable decibel-based noise standard is the 60 dBA cap under § 30-87-6(B)7 that applies specifically to small wind energy systems, enforced by the Zoning Administrator as part of the wind system's zoning or special use permit compliance, not as a general community noise standard.