Fairfax County, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Fairfax 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
- Weeknight hours
- 10 p.m.–7 a.m.
- Weekend hours
- 11 p.m.–7 a.m.
- Mixed-use weekend exception
- 1 a.m.–7 a.m.
- Governing law
- County Code Ch. 108.1
Summary
Fairfax County bars any sound plainly audible inside a neighbor's closed dwelling between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weeknights, extending an hour later on weekends.
(j)Unless otherwise excepted by this Chapter, any person, motor vehicle or instrument that permits, operates, or causes any source of sound or sound generation to create a sound that is plainly audible in any other person's residential dwelling with the doors and windows closed:(1)Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, or between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and the day before a Federal holiday; or(2)Between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays when the residential dwelling is located in a mixed use area and the sound is emanating from a location that is not another residential dwelling. In addition, the source of sound or sound generation must be discernible regardless of whether such doors and windows are closed.
Full Breakdown
The noise ordinance's general nighttime rule prohibits any person, vehicle or instrument from causing a sound that's plainly audible in another person's residential dwelling with doors and windows closed, between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, or between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before a federal holiday. In mixed-use areas the curfew runs 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends for non-residential sound sources.
Violations & Fines
Creating a sound plainly audible in a neighbor's closed dwelling during the barred nighttime hours is a specific noise ordinance violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How late can noise carry into a neighbor's house in Fairfax County?
Does the quiet-hours rule need a decibel reading?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfax County
How Fairfax County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Fairfax County to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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