Chesapeake, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Chesapeake, 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 (Mon-Sat)
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
- Curfew hours (Sat-Sun)
- 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
- Audibility threshold
- 50 feet or across property line
- Civil penalty, 1st offense
- $250.00
- Civil penalty, repeat offense
- $500.00
- Criminal penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor, up to $250.00
- Enforcing officer
- City administrator (police chief/zoning admin.)
Summary
Chesapeake bars loud loudspeakers, music, construction, and yelling that carry across property lines between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. weeknights, and until 8 a.m. on Sundays. The city manager's administrator, usually the police chief or zoning administrator, enforces it citywide.
The following acts are declared to be prohibited if conducted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day Monday through Saturday and between 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. the following Sunday and generating sound plainly audible i) across real property boundaries; ii) through walls or partitions common to two units within a building; or iii) at a distance of 50 feet or more from the source of the noise: (1)Using or operating a loudspeaker or other amplification machine or device in a fixed or movable position exterior to any building...for the purpose of commercial advertising; attracting attention to any performance or event...(2)Using or operating any drum, musical instrument, television, phonograph, compact disc player, cassette tape player, MP3 player, video player or any other machine or device for producing or reproducing sound...(3)Construction, erection, demolition, alteration, repair, excavation or demolition work on public or private property...(7)Any yelling, shouting or singing.
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. m. m. m. Sunday. During those hours it is unlawful to make sound that is "plainly audible" across a real property boundary, through a shared wall or partition between two dwelling units, or at 50 feet or more from the source. Six categories of activity are named as per se violations during the curfew: exterior loudspeakers or amplifiers used for advertising, events, or announcements; drums, stereos, TVs, and similar sound-reproducing devices, including those played inside a parked or moving vehicle; construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or excavation work; and yelling, shouting, or singing.
Sec. " The administrator, defined in Sec. 26-122 as the city manager's designee, including without limitation the chief of police and the zoning administrator, enforces the article. Sec. 26-127 lets any citizen with sufficient evidence sign an affidavit before the Chesapeake Magistrate and request a summons directly, without needing police corroboration first. A person cited for a curfew violation may apply under Sec. 26-142 to the director of development and permits for a special permit excusing noncompliance if the noise does not endanger public health or safety and strict compliance would cause serious hardship.
Violations & Fines
A first curfew violation is a civil infraction carrying a $250.00 penalty; each later offense from the same facts is $500.00, per Sec. 26-131(a). The city may instead pursue it as a class 4 misdemeanor under Sec. 26-131(b), punishable by a fine up to $250.00 per occasion, with each night of noise a separate offense. Civil summonses do not apply to railroad, licensed mining, or industrial-property noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours does Chesapeake's noise curfew cover?
Can a neighbor file a noise complaint without calling police first?
How much is the fine for violating the curfew?
Can a business get an exception to the curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesapeake
How Chesapeake compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Chesapeake to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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