Noise ordinances › Fairfax County, VA

Fairfax County noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: November 4, 2026

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Quiet hours in Fairfax County

The chapter sets its clocks by source, and any period that crosses midnight ends on the following day (Sec. 108.1-3-1(d)). Sound plainly audible in another person's home with doors and windows closed is banned from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before a Federal holiday; where the home is in a mixed use area and the sound does not come from another home, the section also gives 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays (Sec. 108.1-4-1(j)). Other paragraphs of that section, shown by letter: loudspeakers or instruments mounted on the outside of a structure or motor vehicle, except those required by state or federal regulations or giving public service announcements, are banned from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (a). Outdoor construction, repair, maintenance, remodeling, demolition and grading are banned from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before a Federal holiday (b). Banned from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.: outdoor repair of motor vehicles or other mechanical devices (c), powered model vehicles outdoors (d), leaf blowers and chain saws on any property (h), and machines cleaning parking, pedestrian or loading areas within 100 yards of a home (i). Banned from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.: outdoor trash and recycling collection in residential districts or within 100 yards of a home (e), landfill operation within 100 yards of a home (f), and outdoor truck loading or unloading within 100 yards of a home (g). Other power lawn equipment is banned from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. within 100 yards of a home and from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. at 100 yards or more; golf course maintenance is banned from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. at 50 yards or more and from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. at less than 50 yards (h). Animal sound is covered at night if plainly audible in another home with doors and windows closed, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and by day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., if plainly audible and discernible across a property line or shared wall for more than 5 minutes, consecutive or not, in any 10-minute period (k). Dog parks may not be used from dusk (30 minutes after sunset) to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, or from dusk to 8 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and the day before a Federal holiday (l).

Decibel limits

Yes. Sec. 108.1-4-2 sets maximum sound levels for any source the chapter does not otherwise address, measured at the property boundary of the source or at any point within any other property affected by the sound. Continuous sound is in dBA on the meter's slow setting. Impulse sound, an event of no more than one second such as weapons fire, pile drivers or blasting, is in unweighted peak dB on the fast setting (Sec. 108.1-2-1). Residential areas in residential districts: 60 dBA and 100 dB impulse from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 55 dBA and 80 dB impulse from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Non-residential areas in residential districts (parcels with no dwelling, such as schools, parks, places of worship, fire stations and sewage treatment plants): 60 dBA and 100 dB impulse at all times. Mixed use areas: 65 dBA and 100 dB impulse from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 60 dBA and 80 dB impulse from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Commercial districts: 65 dBA and 100 dB impulse at all times. Industrial districts: 72 dBA and 120 dB impulse from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 65 dBA and 100 dB impulse from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Where a source can be measured in more than one district, it must meet the limit for its own district, and the level on each affected property must meet that property's limit. Construction between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. is excepted from the chapter if it does not exceed 90 dBA in residential areas (Sec. 108.1-5-1(k)). The meter must meet or exceed ANSI S1.4 for a Type Two meter and be calibrated at least once a year (Sec. 108.1-2-1), and the sound must cross a property boundary or a partition between homes (Sec. 108.1-3-1(e)). The plainly audible rule in Sec. 108.1-4-1(j) has no number: plainly audible means the sound can be heard by the human ear, and the source must be discernible, meaning clear enough to identify. Excepted sources, such as heat pumps and air conditioners at houses run to the manufacturer's specifications and motor vehicles on a road right-of-way, are outside the table (Sec. 108.1-5-1).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 108.1-4-1(j): "Unless otherwise excepted by this Chapter, any person, motor vehicle or instrument that permits, operates, or causes any source of sound or sound generation to create a sound that is plainly audible in any other person's residential dwelling with the doors and windows closed:" ... "(1) Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, or between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and the day before a Federal holiday; or"

Sec. 108.1-2-1(a)(20): "Plainly audible shall mean the sound can be heard by the human ear with or without a medically approved hearing aid or device."

Sec. 108.1-4-2(a): "Unless otherwise addressed by this Chapter, no person shall permit, operate, or cause any source of sound or sound generation to create a sound which exceeds the limits set forth in the following table titled "Maximum Sound Levels" when measured at the property boundary of the sound source or at any point within any other property affected by the sound."

Sec. 108.1-4-1(b): "Any action related to the construction, repair, maintenance, remodeling or demolition, grading or other improvement of real property in the outdoors between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, or between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and the day before a Federal holiday."

Sec. 108.1-5-1(k): "Activities related to the construction, repair, maintenance, remodeling or demolition, grading or other improvement of real property between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., provided that such activity does not exceed 90 dBA in residential areas, and it shall be a violation of this Chapter to commence such activity before 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays."

Sec. 108.1-3-1(d): "For purposes of this Chapter, whenever a time parameter includes 12 a.m. or midnight, that time parameter shall be construed to end at the specified time on the following day."

Sec. 108.1-3-1(c): "Except as hereinbefore provided in Subparagraph (a) of this Section, a warrant may be obtained from a magistrate for the violation of any provision of this Chapter only upon the sworn complaint of a police officer or two persons who are not members of the same household alleging the specific violation complained of, that either or both of the complainants requested or made a reasonable attempt to request abatement of the violation, and that the violation continued after such request."

Sec. 108.1-3-2(a): "Any violation of any provision of this Chapter shall constitute a Class 2 misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable up to no more than six months in jail and a fine of not more than $1,000, either or both."

Sec. 108.1-3-2(b): "In lieu of the criminal penalties set forth above, a violation of any provision of this Chapter may be punishable by a civil penalty of not more than $250, or $500 for each subsequent offense."

Sec. 108.1-4-1(k)(2): "Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. when the animal sound is plainly audible and discernible across real property boundaries or through partitions common to residential dwellings and such sound can be heard for more than five consecutive or non-consecutive minutes in any ten-minute period of time."

Quoted verbatim from the 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.). Verified against the live code on 2026-11-04. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint 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.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Fairfax County. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) Towns: Chapter 108.1 has no section saying where it applies and never mentions a town, and the County's noise page speaks only of regulating noise within Fairfax County. No County page read says whether the chapter applies inside the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton, so this page does not say either. Vienna and Herndon publish noise rules of their own: Vienna's Noise Ordinance Section 10-20.1, of which the Town says "This section of the code is enforced by the Vienna Police Department.", and what Herndon calls the "Town of Herndon Noise Ordinance, Section 26, Article VI." Nothing read covers Clifton. If you live in a town, start with the town. The map linked from this page is Alexandria's, a neighboring city, because the county's own places are not in the map data; Alexandria's noise rules are not covered here. (2) The midnight rule: because a period that crosses midnight ends the next day, Sunday through Thursday means the nights that start on those days, so Friday's 11 p.m. start runs to 7 a.m. Saturday (Sec. 108.1-3-1(d)). (3) The chapter works in order. A listed prohibition is a violation at that time whatever the decibel level, an excepted activity is outside the chapter, and everything else is held to the Maximum Sound Levels table (County noise page; Secs. 108.1-4-1, 108.1-4-2, 108.1-5-1). (4) Excepted from the chapter (Sec. 108.1-5-1): emergency alarms and emergency work; anything preempted by federal or state law; motor vehicles on a road right-of-way; airplanes and helicopters; trains and railroad track maintenance; snow and ice removal; back-up generators in outages; heat pumps, air conditioners and pool pumps on single family detached or attached home property when run to the manufacturer's specifications; and impulse sound within the table's limits. Some exceptions run only at set times: generator and alarm testing from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., up to two hours a day; transportation facilities from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; bells, carillons and other calls to worship from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., up to five minutes in an hour; and activity on recreational grounds from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and to 11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and the day before a Federal holiday, with loudspeakers there banned from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and held to the table by day. (5) Who is liable: the person operating, controlling or allowing the sound. If that cannot be determined, any owner, tenant, resident or manager physically present is presumed responsible, and can rebut that (Sec. 108.1-3-1(b)). (6) Construction: starting before 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays is itself a violation (Sec. 108.1-5-1(k)). The County's page says noise is restricted to 90 dB "at property boundaries"; the code says 90 dBA "in residential areas" and does not name the boundary in that section. The code controls. (7) Mixed use areas: the code lists the 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. period as a second option after the general hours, and the County's 2015 summary chart reads it as a later start for homes in those areas when the sound comes from a nonresidential use (Sec. 108.1-4-1(j)(2)). (8) County documents that differ from the code, which controls: the July 2019 animal noise flyer says animals in a dog park "are not regulated" between dusk and morning, yet the code bans using a dog park in those hours (Sec. 108.1-4-1(l)); the Noise Basics page mentions "frequency-specific limits", which Chapter 108.1 does not contain; and the applicability chart dated 11-17-15 names only leaf blowers in its overnight ban on all property, where Sec. 108.1-4-1(h) also names chain saws. (9) Waivers: anyone responsible for a noise source may apply for a waiver or partial waiver, at least 14 days ahead and for no more than a year at a time, renewable (Sec. 108.1-6-1). The County's page says there is no fee, requests go through the PLUS portal, and questions go to Zoning Permits at 703-222-1082. (10) Penalties have limits: the civil penalty does not apply to business on industrially zoned property, to railroads, or to areas permitted by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, and failing to abate a violation within the court's time is a separate Class 2 misdemeanor (Sec. 108.1-3-2). (11) Older approvals: the chapter does not cancel proffered or development conditions on noise, and a condition that refers to the Noise Ordinance means the text in effect when it was approved (Sec. 108.1-7-1). (12) School stadiums: Fairfax County Public Schools guidelines dated September 17, 2015, linked from the County's noise page, say issues with public address systems on high school property can go to the school or to the Student Activities and Athletics Program office at 571-423-1260. (13) Animal exceptions: the animal rule does not apply to an animal responding to pain or injury or protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring or a person from an actual threat, to a police dog on duty, or to a bona fide agricultural operation. It applies to all animal sounds from the same property, and animals in a dog park fall under the dog park rule instead (Sec. 108.1-4-1(k)).

Document it before you report it

Some of Fairfax County's limits are measured numbers, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and see the nearest city we map, on the Alexandria noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.