This paper deals with the finite element analysis of active constrained layer damping (ACLD) of laminated composite plates using fractional order derivative constitutive relations for viscoelastic material. The constraining layer of the ACLD treatment is composed of the vertically/obliquely reinforced 1–3 piezoelectric composites (PZCs). The novelty of the present analysis is that the three dimensional fractional derivative model (FDM) of the constrained viscoelastic layer has been derived in time domain. A three-dimensional finite element model has been developed based on the FDM of the viscoelastic layer. Thin laminated plates with various boundary conditions and stacking sequences are emphatically analyzed to investigate the effectiveness of the three-dimensional FDM for both the passive and active control authority of the ACLD patch.