Virginia Beach, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Virginia Beach, VA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Nighttime hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Nighttime limit
- 55 dBA, measured inside the residence
- Measurement point
- At least four (4) feet from the wall nearest the source
- Doors and windows
- Closed to the receiving area
- Daytime limit
- 65 dBA, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Enforcement
- Police dept. or citizen summons under § 23-65
- First offense
- Class 3 misdemeanor
- Repeat within one year
- Class 2 misdemeanor
Summary
Virginia Beach caps nighttime noise at 55 dBA as heard inside a neighbor's residential dwelling between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under City Code § 23-69(a). The reading is taken indoors, at least four feet from the wall nearest the source, with doors and windows to the receiving area closed.
Nighttime. No person shall permit, operate or cause any source of sound to create a sound level that can be heard in another person's residential dwelling during the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in excess of 55 dBA when measured inside the residence at least four (4) feet from the wall nearest the source, with doors and windows to the receiving area closed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 170 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Virginia Beach City Code § 23-69(a) regulates nighttime noise by what actually reaches the inside of someone else's home, not by how loud the source is where it sits. During the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., no person may permit, operate or cause any source of sound to create a sound level that can be heard in another person's residential dwelling in excess of 55 dBA.
Three verbs carry the Virginia Beach rule. "Operate" covers the person running the source. "Cause" covers whoever sets the sound in motion. "Permit" reaches a person who allows the sound to go on, so responsibility under § 23-69(a) is not limited to whoever has hands on the equipment. The wording is "any source of sound," so subsection (a) does not single out particular devices.
The measurement method is written into § 23-69(a) itself. The reading is taken inside the receiving residence, at least four (4) feet from the wall nearest the source, with the doors and windows to the receiving area closed. That shapes what a Virginia Beach complaint has to show. Sound that seems loud on a porch, in a yard or through an open window is not the test. The question is whether it still exceeds 55 dBA in the closed room, measured away from the wall that faces the source.
The protected place is "another person's residential dwelling," so the § 23-69(a) cap is tied to homes on the receiving end of the sound. Outside the nighttime window the city's cap is looser: 65 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Enforcement runs through § 23-65. Virginia Beach police issue summonses, and a private citizen can also seek a magistrate's summons under the same section.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under the Virginia Beach noise provisions is a Class 3 misdemeanor. A repeat violation within one year of a prior conviction is a Class 2 misdemeanor. The city may also seek a circuit court injunction against a continuing violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is nighttime noise measured in Virginia Beach?
What hours count as nighttime under § 23-69(a)?
Does it count if I only hear the noise with my windows open?
Who enforces the quiet hours law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Virginia Beach
How Virginia Beach compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Virginia Beach to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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