Quiet hours in Richmond, VA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Richmond Code Chapter 38 prohibits unreasonable noise between 11 PM and 7 AM in residential districts. Sound audible beyond the property line during quiet hours is presumptive evidence of a violation under the city noise ordinance.
Richmond City Code Chapter 38 (Noise) establishes a plainly audible standard combined with time-of-day restrictions. In residential zones, sound that is plainly audible more than 50 feet from its source between 11 PM and 7 AM on weekdays (and midnight to 7 AM on weekends) is presumptively unreasonable. The ordinance applies to amplified sound, parties, loud voices, and mechanical equipment. Virginia Code Section 18.2-415 (disorderly conduct for unreasonable noise) provides a parallel state-level backstop that Richmond Police may enforce. Enforcement is complaint-driven through the Department of Police non-emergency line and Richmond 311.
Civil penalty typically 250 dollars for a first offense; subsequent offenses within 12 months may be charged as Class 3 misdemeanors with fines up to 500 dollars.
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See how Richmond's quiet hours rules stack up against other locations.
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