Alexandria, VA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily
- Governing noise code
- City Code title 11, ch. 5
- Event hours (non-residential zones)
- 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun-Thu
- Weekend event hours
- 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri-Sat
- Event loading/unloading ban
- 11 p.m.-7 a.m.
- Complaint response deadline
- 1 hour
Summary
Alexandria short-term rental operators and guests must follow the city noise code and post a written quiet-hours notice: no shouting, loud music, barking dogs, or dragging furniture between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 7-1403(D) and (G).
(D)Noise. Operators and occupants shall comply with City Code title 11, chapter 5, noise control. ... (G)Good Neighbor Guide. ... (4)Notice that indoor and outdoor quiet hours are between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. daily.(5)Notice that noise levels, both indoors and outdoors, must be kept to a minimum at all times. This includes, but is not limited to, shouting, cheering, loud conversations, amplified sounds from televisions, speakers, radios, or cell phones, barking dogs, and the dragging of objects.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 156 | Zoning: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7-1403(D) folds the city's general noise code straight into the short-term rental rules: operators and occupants must comply with City Code title 11, chapter 5, noise control, for the full duration of every stay. The zoning ordinance layers a rental-specific quiet-hours mandate on top of that through the Good Neighbor Guide requirement in Sec. daily, and that noise, both indoors and outdoors, must be kept to a minimum at all times, including shouting, cheering, loud conversations, amplified sound from televisions, speakers, radios or cell phones, barking dogs, and dragging objects.
That notice must also be posted conspicuously inside the rental. For units in commercial, office, industrial, or mixed-use zones that host occasional events as an accessory use, Sec. m. m. m. Residential-zone rentals may not host any event exceeding the posted occupancy at any time.
Violations & Fines
Noise complaints fall under the same one-hour clock as occupancy violations: Sec. 7-1403(H)(1) requires the operator or registered local agent to address a reported noise violation within one hour of city notification, and failure to act can expose the operator to civil penalties. Accumulating three or more violations of the same city law, or five or more of separate laws, within a permit year is grounds for the city to revoke or deny the STR permit under Sec. 7-1404(D)(1).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the quiet hours for Alexandria short-term rentals?
Can an Alexandria short-term rental host a party?
How fast must a host respond to a noise complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
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