Quiet hours in Fairfax, VA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
City of Fairfax Code Chapter 62 (Noise) establishes nighttime quiet hours from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM on weekdays and 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM on weekends and holidays. During these hours, sound from residential, commercial, or social activity must not be plainly audible at property lines. Virginia Code Section 15.2-1429 authorizes the city to regulate noise under its general police powers.
The City of Fairfax regulates noise through Chapter 62 of the City Code, adopted under authority granted by Virginia Code Section 15.2-1429 in a Dillon Rule framework. Nighttime quiet hours are generally 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM on Friday, Saturday, and the night preceding a legal holiday. During these hours, sound that is plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the property line, or that crosses a residential property line, is presumed to violate the ordinance. The ordinance uses a plainly-audible standard rather than a decibel standard for most residential enforcement, which is a change Virginia localities adopted after the state Supreme Court struck down older decibel-based disorderly conduct provisions. Amplified sound, parties, barking dogs, power equipment, construction, and vehicle audio systems are the most common enforcement triggers in this university-adjacent city. George Mason University events and nearby student rentals are a common source of complaints, and the city coordinates with university police on response. Violations are Class 3 or Class 4 misdemeanors depending on repeat offenses and whether the noise is willful. Commercial and industrial noise receives separate review during special-event permitting.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Fairfax County.
See how other cities in Fairfax County handle quiet hours.
See how Fairfax's quiet hours rules stack up against other locations.
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