Roanoke County, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Chapter 13, Article II of the Roanoke County Code sets its noise curfew not as one blanket rule but as ten specific 'noise disturbance' clauses in § 13-21, most of them keyed to the same overnight window, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following day. Clause (2) bars repairing, rebuilding or modifying a motor vehicle or other mechanical equipment during those hours if the work is plainly audible fifty feet or more from the vehicle; the same curfew window also covers construction equipment, outdoor truck loading within 100 yards of a home, exterior loudspeakers, and trash collection vehicles.

'Plainly audible' is defined in § 13-18 as any sound a person can hear clearly with unaided hearing, and for music includes detecting rhythmic bass tones through a wall. The curfew does not apply to activity exempted under § 13-19, such as emergency work, agricultural activity or landscaping before 10:00 p.m. Enforcement runs through the police department; under § 13-22 a first violation of any clause in the article is a Class 3 misdemeanor, each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and a second violation within one year of a prior conviction is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

A property owner, tenant or manager present when the noise occurs is presumed to be operating or controlling the source if the actual operator cannot be identified. Anyone facing hardship can ask the board of supervisors for a waiver under § 13-23, valid up to one year and renewable.