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How to file a noise complaint in Norfolk

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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

Official text: Code of the City of Norfolk, Virginia, 1979, Chapter 26 "Noise," Secs. 26-1 through 26-8, enacted in full by Ord. No. 48,923, § 1 (adopted Sept. 13, 2022), which replaced the former Secs. 26-1 to 26-13: 26-1 declaration of policy, 26-2 definitions, 26-3 enforcement, 26-4 violations and penalties, 26-5 exemptions, 26-6 specific prohibitions (per se offenses; Table I, impulsive sound levels; Table II, maximum sound pressure levels), 26-7 conflict of ordinance, 26-8 severability; with Sec. 1-11 (classification of and penalties for violations), Sec. 6.1-76 (nuisance animals), Sec. 29-70.1 (small performances in parks and on sidewalks), Sec. 30-15 (sound amplification in parks) and Sec. 30-81 (noise aboard boats). Text read on Municode (library.municode.com, the City's code host: "Codified through Ordinance No. 50,383, adopted June 9, 2026. (Supp. No. 166)"; none of the uncodified 2026 ordinances Municode lists touches Chapter 26) on 2026-10-05..

Where to file in Norfolk

Per norfolk.gov, Emergency Communications, "Calling the Non-Emergency Number": "Call the non-emergency number, 757-441-5610, to report the following:", with "Loud music complaints" in the list; the page adds that "Citizens may also use, the Online Reporting System provided by the Norfolk Police Department" and lists the Animal Care Center, 757-441-5505, for animal control information. The Norfolk Police Department's Citizens Online Reporting System page names property damage, stolen property, harassment, thefts, shoplifting and supplements as examples and does not mention noise. Under the code, the Norfolk Police Department and any other law enforcement agency with concurrent jurisdiction in the City may enforce its provisions, assisted by other city departments as the city manager directs or by the Virginia Department of Health (26-3(a)); officers may also seek voluntary compliance through a warning, conference or other means (26-3(e)). Everyone operating, permitting or controlling a noise source is guilty of a violation it causes, and if that person cannot be identified, or the source is a business or premises, each owner, tenant, resident or manager physically present on the property is rebuttably presumed to be in violation (26-3(b)). Violations are class 3 misdemeanors with a fine of up to $500 (26-4(a)); a Table I impulsive-sound violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor (26-6(b)(2)), which Sec. 1-11(a)(1) punishes by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, either or both. Operating a device, vehicle or machinery in violation of the chapter in a way that endangers residents' comfort, repose, health or peace is also a public nuisance that may be abated by restraining order or injunction or the City's other nuisance powers (26-4(b)), and private suits for damages are preserved (26-3(d)). Sources: https://www.norfolk.gov/3253/Calling-the-Non-Emergency-Number and https://www.norfolk.gov/5754/Citizens-Online-Reporting-System.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-05. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard or 311 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. Norfolk sets measured limits, so a reading near the limit is direct evidence. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Norfolk are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The Norfolk 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 city does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.

What happens after you file

Non-emergency noise reports are queued, not dispatched, so a first call rarely ends 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 city 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 Norfolk in general? The Norfolk 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 Norfolk?

Per norfolk.gov, Emergency Communications, "Calling the Non-Emergency Number": "Call the non-emergency number, 757-441-5610, to report the following:", with "Loud music complaints" in the list; the page adds that "Citizens may also use, the Online Reporting System provided by the Norfolk Police Department" and lists the Animal Care Center, 757-441-5505, for animal control information.

What are the quiet hours in Norfolk?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Norfolk noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Norfolk?

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 Norfolk?

Norfolk uses both decibel limits and audibility rules, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; which rule applies depends on the source of the noise.

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.