Fairfax, VA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

The City of Fairfax is an independent city separate from Fairfax County and has its own Zoning Ordinance and City Code. The City's Zoning Division has confirmed in its 'Rental and Shared Housing' guidance that any short-term rental, including those marketed online or through social media such as Airbnb, must comply with the City's bed and breakfast regulations, which require a Special Use Permit approved by City Council under the Zoning Ordinance. A bed and breakfast is defined as a short-term rental of less than 14 consecutive days within an owner-occupied single-family home, must be located on an arterial or collector street, and is not permitted in a townhouse or apartment. As a result, the City does not have STR-specific quiet hours; the rules that govern guest noise are the general municipal noise standards in Chapter 110 Article XXIV of the City Code. Section 110-1136 (Maximum permissible noise levels), enacted by Ordinance No. 2003-23 on November 25, 2003, prohibits any person from operating, or any property or business owner from permitting, a noise source that exceeds the sound pressure levels in the Maximum Sound Pressure Levels Table for the parcel's zoning district: 55 dBA in residential districts, 60 dBA in commercial districts, and 72 dBA in industrial districts, with mixed-use parcels held to the most restrictive applicable standard. Section 110-1138 carves out exemptions: emergency vehicles, public utility repairs, lawn-mowing and similar lawn or garden equipment between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., permitted outdoor events between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and city-sponsored festivals. Because B&B use is a non-residential commercial use authorized only by Special Use Permit, the City Council may attach additional noise, hours-of-operation, or guest-conduct conditions to the permit at the time of approval. Operating an STR without B&B authorization is a separate zoning violation enforced by Code Administration.