Hampton, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Hampton, 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
- 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m.
- Night audibility limit
- 50 feet
- Day audibility limit
- 100 feet
- First-offense fine
- up to $500
Summary
Hampton's general noise curfew runs 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., cutting the allowed audibility distance for instruments, machines and devices from 100 feet down to 50 feet.
Instruments, machines, or devices. Instruments, machines, or devices operated in such a manner or with such volume or duration that it is plainly audible (i) inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house or apartment of another person; (ii) at a distance of 100 or more feet in any direction from the operator between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; or (iii) at a distance of 50 or more feet in any direction from the operator between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
(3) Noisy animals. Allowing any animal to cause any sound or noise such that it is plainly audible (i) inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house or apartment of another person at least once a minute for ten (10) consecutive minutes or (ii) at one hundred (100) or more feet from the animal at least once a minute for ten (10) consecutive minutes or (iii) after more than one complaint has been received and after the owner or other responsible person has been advised of the complaints and that such noise is unlawful.
(4) Trash and recycling collection. The creation of any sound or noise between 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m. that is plainly audible in a residential area, except those areas zoned C-1 "Neighborhood Commercial District", C-2 "Limited Commercial District" and C-3 "General Commercial District", when the sound or noise is produced in connection with the loading or unloading of refuse, waste or recycling collection vehicles.
(5)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 22-9(2) makes it unlawful to operate any instrument, machine, or device, radios, amplifiers, loudspeakers and similar equipment, with such volume or duration that it's plainly audible inside another person's dwelling, or at 100 or more feet away between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or at 50 or more feet away between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. That tighter nighttime distance is Hampton's operative quiet-hours rule, layered under the same-chapter bans on parties, animals, construction, and lawn care noise during the same overnight window.
Violations & Fines
Misdemeanor: fine up to $500 for a first offense, up to $1,000 for a second offense within 5 years, and up to $2,500 for a third within 10 years. A citation requires a magistrate complaint or an officer witnessing the violation directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours count as quiet hours in Hampton?
How does someone file a noise complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
How Hampton compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Hampton to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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