Henrico County, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Henrico County, VA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. for most residential noise
- Audibility test
- Plainly audible inside a home or 50-100 feet away
- Enforcing code
- Henrico County Code Sec. 10-68, Article III Noise
- First-offense fine
- Up to $500 per conviction
- Repeat fines
- $1,000 second offense, $2,500 third offense
- Charge trigger
- Magistrate summons or officer's direct observation
Summary
Henrico County's noise ordinance sets one baseline curfew: between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., no sound is permitted to carry plainly audible into a neighbor's dwelling or 100 feet into a residential area. Code Sec. 10-68 applies that same clock to sound equipment, parties, construction, street cleaning and lawn work, all enforced under Sec. 10-67's escalating fines up to $2,500.
It is unlawful for any person to cause or permit to be caused any of the following prohibited sounds or noises: ... (2) Sound-producing and sound-reproducing devices. a. The use, operation, or playing of any radio, phonograph, television, projector, record, compact disc, tape, digital music, MP3 or DVD player, musical instrument, microphone, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or similar device designed or used for producing or reproducing sound, regardless of whether such sound-producing or sound-reproducing device is located inside of a structure or outside of or on a structure, in such a manner or with such volume or duration that it is plainly audible: 1. Inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house, or apartment of another person; or 2. In residential areas, at 50 or more feet from the device between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Henrico's Article III noise chapter opens with a blanket ban: it is unlawful for any person to cause or permit any of the prohibited sounds or noises listed in Sec. 10-68. m. window repeats through the rest of Sec. 10-68: parties of ten or more plainly audible 100 feet away (subsection (1)), and lawn care and tree work (subsection (8)). window (subsection (4)). m. Sec. require an officer's direct observation. Fines run $500 for a first conviction, $1,000 for a second within five years, and $2,500 for a third within ten years, with each continuing day a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction under any Sec. 10-68 provision draws a fine up to $500. A second conviction within five years climbs to $1,000, and a third within ten years reaches $2,500. Each day the noise continues counts as a separate offense. Prosecution requires either a magistrate summons requested by a complainant or direct observation by a police officer, and a criminal charge does not block the county from pursuing separate civil abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours count as quiet hours in Henrico County?
Who enforces Henrico's noise curfew?
What are the penalties for violating the noise ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henrico County
How Henrico County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Henrico County to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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