How to file a noise complaint in Fairfax County

Last updated: November 4, 2026

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

Fairfax County noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (11 p.m. Fri., Sat., holiday eves); outdoor construction ends 9 p.m.
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some noise, other tests for the rest
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Fairfax County Code Chapter 108.1 (Noise Ordinance)

Official text: Fairfax County Code Chapter 108.1 (Noise Ordinance), Sections 108.1-1-1 to 108.1-8-1. The Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 03-26-M-60, adopted February 17, 2026. (Supp. No. 180, 8-26)", version dated Aug 26, 2026. Every section carries the history note 29-15-108.1; Sections 108.1-2-1 and 108.1-3-3 also show 28-19-108.1, and Sections 108.1-3-1 and 108.1-6-1 also show 03-19-108.1. The County says the Board of Supervisors adopted the ordinance on November 17, 2015, and that it "has subsequently been amended"; its summary chart reads Adopted 11/17/15, Effective 2/17/16. None of the ordinances Municode lists as adopted but not yet codified amends Chapter 108.1. The chapter does not say whether it applies inside the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton. Text read 2026-11-04..

Where to file in Fairfax County

For noise happening now or after hours, call Fairfax County's non-emergency line, 703-691-2131 (TTY (703) 877-3715), and 911 for an emergency; the County's non-emergency page lists noise complaints among its calls. The County's animal noise flyer says "For after hours noise concerns, please call the Non-Emergency Police 703-691-2131". For recurring noise, or noise regulated by a decibel level, report to the Department of Code Compliance online or at 703-324-1300, TTY 711; its office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Code Compliance investigates noise "when it is regulated by decibel level and/or when the noise occurs on a regularly occurring basis, such that it can be identified during a scheduled inspection." It is not on call: it schedules an inspection within a few days of the complaint, and staff verify the issue in person, research property records, make multiple inspection attempts and take meter readings if applicable. If it finds a violation it issues a Notice of Violation with a timeline to comply, and failure to comply could lead to legal action for civil penalties or an injunction. The County says Code Compliance and the Police Department are primarily responsible for enforcement; the chapter also names the Zoning Administrator and the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services among its enforcers (Sec. 108.1-3-1(a)). Neighbors can go to a magistrate, but the rule is strict: without a police officer's sworn complaint, a warrant takes the sworn complaint of two people from different households who say at least one of them asked, or reasonably tried to ask, for the noise to stop and that it continued; one person is enough if there is no more than one household within one-half mile of the source (Sec. 108.1-3-1(c)). Penalties (Sec. 108.1-3-2): a Class 2 misdemeanor, up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both; or, instead, a civil penalty of up to $250, or $500 for each later offense; and the Board may seek an injunction. Aircraft are outside the chapter (Sec. 108.1-5-1(e)); the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority runs 24-hour noise complaint lines at 703-572-8215 for Dulles and 703-417-8020 for Reagan National. In the Town of Vienna, the Town says to call the Vienna Police Department at (703) 255-6366 about its own noise ordinance. Sources: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/911/calling-non-emergency, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/sites/code/files/assets/documents/pdf/animal-noise.pdf, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/zoning/noise-ordinance, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/how-report-violation-dcc, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/environment/noise and https://www.viennava.gov/Town-Departments/Police/Noise-Ordinance-Section-10-20.1.

From the county's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-04. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the county's main switchboard can redirect you.

Before you call

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.
Measure it if you can. Fairfax County sets measured limits for some noise, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Fairfax County: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (11 p.m. Fri., Sat., holiday eves); outdoor construction ends 9 p.m. The Fairfax County noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
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 Alexandria 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 Fairfax County?

What are the quiet hours in Fairfax County?

10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (11 p.m. Fri., Sat., holiday eves); outdoor construction ends 9 p.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Fairfax County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County?

Fairfax County uses decibel limits for some noise and other tests for the rest, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; the rules above say which applies.

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.