York County, VA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in York 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
- Quiet hours
- 11:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.
- Yelling/shouting rule
- County Code § 16-19.2(f)
- Large-party nuisance rule
- County Code § 16-19.2(h)
- Party-noise duration trigger
- unabated 30+ minutes
- First-offense fine
- up to $250.00
- Enforcing agency
- York County Sheriff's Office
Summary
York County, Virginia's noise ordinance sets an 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. quiet period under County Code § 16-19.2(f) and (h), barring yelling, shouting or singing above conversational level and outdoor gatherings whose noise runs unabated for thirty minutes or more, when plainly audible across a property line or 100 feet away.
(f)Yelling, shouting, etc.. Yelling, shouting, and other vocal sounds in excess of a normal conversational level, whistling or singing, any of which occurs between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. so as to create a sound across a residential real property line or on a public right-of-way or on any public area that is plainly audible to an occupant of a dwelling unit within a building other than an occupant of the unit from which such sound emanates. ... (h)Large party nuisance. The creation of plainly audible sound between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. that continues unabated for thirty (30) minutes or more, and emanates from a gathering of people where the gathering is not completely contained within a structure, but spills outdoors into balconies, yards, common areas, parking lots, or other outdoor spaces and is plainly audible across a property line, or through partitions common to two (2) dwelling units within a building, or at a distance of one hundred feet (100') or more from its source and on property other than that which the sound originates.
Full Breakdown
York County does not impose one blanket curfew on all sound; instead its noise ordinance, Sec. 16-19.2, singles out two nighttime behaviors between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Subsection (f), 'Yelling, shouting, etc.,' bars yelling, shouting, other vocal sounds above a normal conversational level, whistling or singing during those hours when the sound is plainly audible to an occupant of another dwelling unit, crosses a residential property line, carries onto a public right-of-way or public area, or reaches one hundred feet from its source. Subsection (h), 'Large party nuisance,' targets gatherings that spill outdoors into yards, balconies, common areas or parking lots and produce plainly audible sound continuing unabated for thirty minutes or more between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., whether the sound crosses a property line, passes through a shared wall, or carries one hundred feet.
Both subsections were added by Ord. No. 10-8(R-1) on January 18, 2011. 'Plainly audible' is defined in Sec. 16-19.1 as sound a person can detect with unaided hearing, so deputies do not need a meter reading to enforce either clause during the quiet-hours window. These nighttime rules sit alongside the numeric decibel limits of Sec. 16-19.3, which apply around the clock; between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the numeric outdoor residential limit also drops to 55 dB(A), reinforcing the same quiet period. The York County Sheriff's Office responds to loud-party and shouting complaints under this article.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Sec. 16-19.2(f) or (h) is a misdemeanor under Sec. 16-19.6, punishable by a fine of up to $250.00 for a first offense and up to $500.00 for a repeat offense within twelve months. Each night, or each thirty-minute period the party noise continues after a warning, can be charged as a separate offense by the Sheriff's Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are York County's official quiet hours?
Can I be cited for a loud outdoor party in York County?
Is yelling in my own yard during the day illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
How York County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare York County to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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