Henrico County, VA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger threshold
- Ten or more people gathered
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Audibility test
- Heard inside a neighbor's home or 100 feet away
- Governing code
- Henrico County Code Sec. 10-68(1)
- First-offense fine
- Up to $500
- Repeat-offense fines
- Up to $1,000, then $2,500
Summary
Henrico County treats any gathering of ten or more people as a code violation once it turns audible past curfew: between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., a party plainly heard inside a neighbor's home, or 100 feet away in a residential area, breaks Sec. 10-68(1). Hosts face police-witnessed or magistrate-summons enforcement and fines that climb with repeat violations.
It is unlawful for any person to cause or permit to be caused any of the following prohibited sounds or noises: (1) Social gatherings and parties. Allowing any noise between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. generated from a gathering of ten or more people that is plainly audible: a. Inside the confines of the dwelling unit, house, or apartment of another person; or b. In a residential area, at 100 or more feet from the gathering.
Full Breakdown
Sec. if it is plainly audible either inside the dwelling of another person or, in a residential area, from 100 or more feet away. is a violation. Enforcement runs through Sec. 10-67: a case can only be charged if a complainant appears before a magistrate to request a summons, or if a police officer directly witnesses the violation. A conviction carries a fine up to $500 for a first offense, up to $1,000 for a second within five years, and up to $2,500 for a third within ten years, with every additional night the party continues counting as a new offense.
Criminal prosecution under this section does not stop the county from separately pursuing civil abatement of the nuisance. The section sits inside the same article that also covers sound equipment, noisy animals, construction and lawn work, all keyed to the same plainly-audible test, so a loud party charge often overlaps with a companion sound-equipment charge if a stereo or speaker is part of what neighbors hear.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction is punishable by a fine up to $500. A second conviction within five years can reach $1,000, and a third within ten years can reach $2,500. Each night the gathering continues past curfew counts as a separate offense. Prosecution requires either a police officer's direct observation of the party or a magistrate summons requested by a complaining neighbor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people does it take to count as a 'party' under Henrico's noise code?
Can Henrico Police break up a loud party without a neighbor complaint?
What happens if the same address gets cited again?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henrico County
Compare Henrico County to another location·View the Virginia public conduct overview
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