Henrico County Noise Ordinance: Violations, Fines, and Reporting

The Henrico County noise ordinance, found in Article III of Chapter 10 of the county code, prohibits specific noises using a “plainly audible” standard rather than decibel readings, tightens its rules between late night and early morning, and carries fines of 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.¹

How the “Plainly Audible” Standard Works

Henrico does not send officers out with sound meters. The test is whether a person with normal hearing can detect the noise at the location the ordinance specifies. Most categories in Section 10-68 use two alternative triggers: the sound is a violation if it is plainly audible inside another person’s home at any hour, and during nighttime hours it is also a violation if it carries a set distance from its source. During the day, a neighbor generally has to hear the noise inside their own dwelling for it to be actionable. At night, the net widens.

What Counts as a Violation

Music, TVs, and Sound Devices

Running a radio, television, musical instrument, loudspeaker, amplifier, or similar device at a volume plainly audible inside another person’s dwelling is a violation at any hour. Between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., the rule also catches sound that can be heard 50 or more feet from the device in a residential area. The prohibition does not apply to noise from commercial establishments in urban mixed-use zones, or to recreational facilities, athletic venues, and other non-residential properties between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.²

Enforcement for this category has a wrinkle. Between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., a police officer must personally witness the violation before anyone can be charged. During nighttime hours, a neighbor can go before a magistrate and request a summons without an officer having been present.¹

Parties and Gatherings

A gathering of ten or more people between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. violates the ordinance if the noise is plainly audible inside another person’s dwelling or at 100 or more feet from the gathering. Smaller get-togethers are not covered by this specific provision, though loud music at any size party can still be cited under the sound-device rules.²

Barking Dogs and Other Animals

Animal noise becomes a violation when it is plainly audible inside another person’s dwelling or at 100 or more feet from the animal, at least once a minute for ten consecutive minutes. A dog that barks a few times and stops does not meet the threshold. The rule applies around the clock, but commercial kennels, animal boarding facilities, veterinary clinics, and the county animal shelter are exempt between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.²

Construction, Street Cleaning, and Trash Collection

Construction and demolition noise plainly audible in a residential area is prohibited between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Street and parking-lot cleaning follow the same overnight window. Trash and recycling collection noise in residential areas is banned between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Areas zoned for urban mixed use are excluded from these restrictions.²

Peddlers and Vehicle Sound Systems

Yelling, shouting, or using noisemakers to draw commercial attention in residential areas is prohibited between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Operating a sound system from a vehicle so that it is plainly audible at 50 or more feet is banned at any hour, and on conviction the county can impound the sound equipment itself.²

Noises the Ordinance Doesn’t Reach

Section 10-69 lists fourteen exempt categories. The ones most likely to come up in day-to-day life include emergency and safety noise (including utility restoration after an outage), emergency vehicle sirens, road and highway work, parades, fireworks displays and other public special events, school-sponsored activities on school grounds, sanctioned events in county parks, religious services and their bells, chimes, music, and singing, railroad and aircraft noise, agricultural operations, and sanctioned motorsports events. Political gatherings and other First Amendment activity are also exempt.³

The alarm exemption is narrower than it looks. Fire, burglar, and car alarms are exempt only until the owner has been notified and given a reasonable chance to shut them off. After that window closes, an alarm that keeps sounding can be treated as a violation.³

What a Violation Costs

Section 10-67 sets a tiered fine schedule:

First offense: fine of up to $500.
Second offense within five years: fine of up to $1,000.
Third offense within ten years: fine of up to $2,500.

Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so an ongoing problem can compound quickly. Criminal charges do not stop the county from pursuing other remedies available under the county code or Virginia state law to end the violation.¹

How to Report a Noise Problem

The county recommends starting with the source when it is safe to do so: talk with the neighbor, or contact your property manager or HOA if you have one, since they can often move faster than the legal process.⁴

When those options don’t work, call the Henrico County Police non-emergency line at (804) 501-5000 to request that an officer respond.⁵ Remember that for a sound-device complaint between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., an officer has to witness the violation for a charge to stick, so getting one to the scene while the noise is happening matters. For nighttime violations, or for categories outside sound devices, you can also appear before a magistrate and ask that a criminal summons be issued even if no officer heard the noise.¹ A written log of dates, times, duration, and the type of noise supports your case whether you go to police, a magistrate, or your HOA.

If You Rent and the Noise Comes From Another Unit

Tenants in Henrico County have a second tool alongside the noise ordinance. Virginia Code Section 55.1-1604 gives every tenant a landlord’s covenant of quiet enjoyment, meaning the right to occupy the property for the lease term without interruption or disturbance.⁶

If the noise comes from a unit the same landlord controls, put the landlord on written notice that the disturbance is interfering with your quiet enjoyment. Leases typically contain noise clauses that let landlords issue warnings, impose fees, or move toward eviction, and that leverage often produces faster results than a police response. The ordinance and your lease rights run on separate tracks, and you can use both at once.

1
Henrico County, Virginia – Code of Ordinances. Henrico County Code Section 10-67 – Penalty and Enforcement
2
Henrico County, Virginia – Code of Ordinances. Henrico County Code Section 10-68 – Prohibited Noises Enumerated
3
Henrico County, Virginia – Code of Ordinances. Henrico County Code Section 10-69 – Exemptions
4
Henrico County. Henrico Police Community Resource Guide
5
Henrico County. Henrico County Noise Ordinance Info Flyer
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 55.1-1604 – Covenant of Lessor for Lessee’s Quiet Enjoyment