Richmond noise rules at a glance
- Governing code: Richmond City Code, Chapter 11, Article II (Sound Control)
- Quiet hours: 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM are the code's nighttime hours
- How violations are judged: Measured decibel limits
- Complaints: RVA311
How Richmond decides what counts as too loud
Richmond defines excessive sound with two pairs of numbers — one for readings taken inside a building and a higher pair for outside — and runs its daytime window until 11:00 PM.
Noise limits in Richmond
| Applies to | Daytime | Night |
|---|---|---|
| Measured inside a structure | Sound above 65 dBA during daytime hours | Sound above 55 dBA during nighttime hours |
| Measured outside a structure | Sound above 75 dBA during daytime hours | Sound above 65 dBA during nighttime hours |
| Vehicles and amplified sound | Plainly audible at the stated distance is separately actionable | Same test |
What's specific to Richmond
- Daytime runs to 11:00 PM, so the stricter figures do not apply as early as in most cities.
- Animal noise has its own provision, triggered by sound plainly audible on a recurring basis.
- Amplified sound on another person's property requires a permit.
What Richmond residents most often report
- Amplified music entering homes, judged by the 65/55 dBA interior thresholds.
- Bar and restaurant noise in mixed-use blocks measured outdoors against 75/65 dBA.
- Vehicle sound systems, tested by plain audibility at a set distance.
How to measure it in Richmond
Say where you measured. Richmond writes two different thresholds for the same sound depending on whether the reading was taken inside a structure or outside it, and the gap is 10 dBA — quoting a figure without saying which applies makes it unusable. Take the reading indoors if the problem is sound entering your home, and note the time against the 11:00 PM boundary.
Record levels with the free online decibel meter, and log the date, start time and duration with each reading. A phone microphone is accurate to roughly ±2 dB and is not a calibrated instrument — enough to establish a pattern, not enough for an enforcement hearing.
Turn your readings into something you can file
RVA311 will ask when the noise happens and how long it lasts. A live decibel reading answers neither. Pro records a timestamped session — a ten-minute check or a full night — charts the whole thing, and exports a PDF with the dates, times, duration and the statistics that describe a pattern rather than a moment.
- Timestamped sessions with the recording timezone
- Leq and L10/L50/L90 background levels
- Print-ready PDF report, one click
- Your last 25 sessions, kept on your device
Measurements stay on your device on the subscription plans. A phone microphone is not a calibrated instrument — a session establishes a pattern, and this page is not legal advice.
How to file a noise complaint in Richmond
RVA311 takes noise reports and routes them to police for disturbances and to city enforcement for persistent commercial sources.
Sources
Municipal codes are amended regularly and enforcement practice varies by neighbourhood and agency. This page summarises the code as of 2026-08-10 and is not legal advice — confirm against the linked code before relying on any figure, and consult a lawyer for a dispute.
Noise ordinances in other metros
See all US metro noise ordinances or read how many decibels is too loud.