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How to file a noise complaint in Chesterfield County

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Chesterfield County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Official text: Chesterfield County Code Section 14-27 (Loud noises prohibited), in Chapter 14 (Offenses, Miscellaneous), with use standards in the Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 19.2. Code of the County of Chesterfield, Virginia, on Municode, "Codified through Ordinances of March 11, 2026(1). (Supp. No. 80)", version dated Aug 26, 2026: Sec. 14-27 (Code 1978, § 15.1-25; Ord. of 9-23-2009(2), § 1; Ord. of 12-16-20(3), § 1). The County posted notice of a public hearing on December 16, 2020 to consider amendments to County Code Section 14-27 regarding prohibited loud noises. None of the ordinances Municode lists as adopted but not yet codified (dated 5/15/24 to 8/26/26) names Sec. 14-27. Zoning: Chapter 19.2, Chesterfield County Zoning Ordinance Modernization (ZOMod), on enCodePlus (ZO-2025-001, adopted 09/17/2025, effective 01/01/2026), Secs. 19.2-30-2, 19.2-30-5, 19.2-30-12, 19.2-30-25, 19.2-32-16 and 19.2-32-35. Text read 2026-11-09..

Where to file in Chesterfield County

Call Chesterfield County Police at the non-emergency number, 804-748-1251, for a noise complaint, and 911 for an emergency. The County's Emergency Communications Center page says "For all non-emergency situations, please call 804-748-1251." and lists noise complaints among its examples of non-emergency calls. The Police Department's page says requests for immediate police response must be made by phone, at 911 in an emergency or 804-748-1251 for a non-emergency. It matters that an officer hears the noise. Under Sec. 14-27 no person may be charged unless a violation is committed in the presence of a police officer, or a complainant appears before a magistrate, alleges the specific violation, and says that he or she requested, or made a reasonable attempt to request, that it stop. So a neighbor who goes to a magistrate should first ask the person to stop, or reasonably try to, and keep a note of when. Animal noise is part of the same section (Sec. 14-27(c)). The County's Animal Control page says to call 804-748-1251 and ask to speak with an Animal Services officer for the problems it lists, which do not include barking, and that code concerns about animals can be submitted through the Enterprise Land Management (ELM) citizen access portal. Penalty (Sec. 14-27(h)): a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500. A complaint about a zoning standard, such as a venue's 65 decibel limit on outdoor amplified music, goes to zoning code compliance through the ELM portal. Sources: https://www.chesterfield.gov/3960/Contact-ECC---911, https://www.chesterfield.gov/5915/Report-or-Request-Police-Information, https://www.chesterfield.gov/5980/Animal-Control-Reporting-and-Enforcement and https://www.chesterfield.gov/998/Ordinances-Policies-and-Regulations.

From the county's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-09. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the county's main switchboard can redirect you.

Before you call

1. Log it. Date, start and end time, what the noise was and where you heard it from. Three dated entries carry more weight than one angry call.
2. Measure it if you can. Chesterfield County enforces mostly by audibility, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Chesterfield County: 11:01 p.m. to 7 a.m. (sound devices, gatherings); lawn care 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Chesterfield County noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
4. Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the county does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.

What happens after you file

Noise reports often wait behind urgent calls, so a first call may not end the noise that night. What it does is start a record against the address. Repeated reports, a dated log and a reading are what move a case from a warning to a citation. Where the county needs an officer to witness the noise, as most audibility rules require, file while it is happening rather than the next morning.

How loud is it nearby? The Richmond noise map shows the federal transportation-noise data for every neighbourhood, and the apartment quiet hours page compares every city's night rule.

Who do I call for a noise complaint in Chesterfield County?

Call Chesterfield County Police at the non-emergency number, 804-748-1251, for a noise complaint, and 911 for an emergency.

What are the quiet hours in Chesterfield County?

11:01 p.m. to 7 a.m. (sound devices, gatherings); lawn care 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Chesterfield County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Chesterfield County?

Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use the non-emergency police line or the department named above; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.

What evidence helps a noise complaint in Chesterfield County?

Chesterfield County enforces mostly by audibility and disturbance rules rather than a decibel number, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.

This page is a plain-language guide to the reporting route, not legal advice. Ordinances and contact numbers get amended; check the linked official sources before relying on a specific provision.