Edmonds's Noise Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles noise ordinances a little differently. In Edmonds, Washington, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Barking Dogs

Edmonds City Code 5.05.115 makes it a public nuisance for an animal to bark, howl, yelp, or whine enough to disturb a neighborhood, defined as 10 or more continuous minutes or 20 or more intermittent minutes of noise. A first violation is a $100 civil infraction, escalating to $250 for a repeat and a criminal misdemeanor on a third within a year.

Key details: Continuous noise threshold: 10+ minutes. Intermittent noise threshold: 20+ minutes total. 1st violation: $100.00 civil infraction. 3rd violation (1 yr): Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/90 days jail. Abatement appeal window: 5 days of notice.

A first violation is a civil infraction punishable by a $100.00 fine under 5.05.115(C)(1). A second violation within the same calendar year is a civil infraction punishable by $250.00. A third violation within the same calendar year is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000.00 and/or 90 days in jail under 5.05.115(C)(3).

Aircraft Noise

Edmonds' noise control ordinance exempts sounds from aircraft in flight from the city's maximum permissible sound level standards, so airplane and helicopter overflight noise near the waterfront and ferry route is not enforceable as a local noise violation. Federal aviation authority, not the city noise code, governs it.

Key details: Exemption scope: Aircraft-in-flight sounds, at all times. Section: ECC 5.30.100(A)(3). Also exempt: Watercraft sounds. Chapter: ECC 5.30 Noise Abatement and Control.

No enforcement path exists: ECC 5.30.100(A) places aircraft-in-flight sounds outside the noise ordinance's reach "at all times," so the noise control administrator has no authority to investigate or cite an aircraft-noise complaint under Chapter 5.30. Complaints about flight operations belong with the FAA or the operating airport, not the city.

The rules around aircraft noise in Edmonds lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Construction Hours

Edmonds allows construction noise only between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays under ECC 5.30.110(B); construction noise on Sundays and federal holidays, or outside those weekday and Saturday windows, loses its exemption and must meet the city's ordinary sound limits.

Key details: Weekday hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Saturday hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Sunday/holidays: No exemption at any hour. Variance route: Type 1 permit, ECDC 20.01.003(B). First offense fine: $100 civil infraction.

Construction noise outside the 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekday window or the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday window, or on any Sunday or federal holiday, is a Chapter 5.30 violation subject to ECC 5.30.150's tiered penalties: a $100 civil infraction for a first offense, $250 for a second violation within a calendar year, and a misdemeanor with up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail for a third.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Edmonds bans loud, repetitive amplified music and sound-equipment noise that disturbs neighbors under ECC 5.30.130(C), part of the city's public disturbance noises rule. A violation requires the sound to be unreasonable and to continue after a police officer orders it stopped, not just a complaint alone.

Key details: Governing rule: Public disturbance noises, no time limit. Covers: Musical instruments, sound amplifiers, whistles. Trigger: Unreasonable noise plus refusal to stop. First offense: $100 civil infraction.

A first violation of ECC 5.30.130 is a $100 civil infraction under ECC 5.30.150(A), rising to $250 for a second violation within the same calendar year, and a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail for a third. Refusing a police order to stop the noise is itself part of the offense.

Quiet Hours

Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., Edmonds cuts the maximum permissible noise level by 10 dB(A) for residential receiving property, and separately bans loud, repetitive unamplified human voices during those same hours as a public disturbance noise. Utility substations and existing water-conveyance equipment are exempt from the nighttime reduction.

Key details: Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Residential nighttime reduction: 10 dB(A) off the daytime limit. Exempt from reduction: substations, existing water-utility equipment. Loud unamplified voices at night: banned as public disturbance. Quiet zone petition: 5+ residents, city council hearing.

Exceeding the reduced nighttime decibel limit, or making loud repetitive unamplified noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. after being ordered to stop by a police officer, violates ECC 5.30.050 and 5.30.130. Under ECC 5.30.150, penalties escalate within a calendar year: a $100.00 civil infraction for the first violation, $250.00 for the second, and a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail for a third.

Decibel Limits

Edmonds caps sound at the property line using a district-to-district table: noise crossing from a residential source into a residential receiving property is capped at 55 dB(A), rising to 60 dB(A) commercial-to-commercial and 70 dB(A) for sound crossing from commercial into commercial receiving property, with intermediate steps in between.

Key details: Residential to residential: 55 dB(A) at property line. Commercial to commercial: 70 dB(A), the loosest limit. Measured at: property line or receiving property. 1st/2nd violation: $100.00 / $250.00 civil infraction. 3rd violation (same year): misdemeanor, up to $1,000/90 days.

Sound intruding onto another property above the applicable dB(A) ceiling in the ECC 5.30.040 table is an unlawful sound under ECC 5.30.030. Under ECC 5.30.150, a first violation of this chapter is a civil infraction punishable by a $100.00 fine, a second violation within a calendar year is a civil infraction punishable by a $250.00 fine, and a third violation within the same year becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail.

Vehicle Noise

Edmonds bans operating a motor vehicle whose exhaust exceeds the sound levels for its vehicle category, tested at 20 inches from the exhaust outlet under state WAC procedures. Every vehicle on a public highway or easement road must also carry a working muffler that meets Washington's muffler standard, kept in constant operation.

Key details: Exhaust test distance: 20 inches from exhaust outlet. Test procedure: Chapter 204-56 WAC. Muffler requirement: working order, constant operation, RCW 46.37.390. Tire noise: banned except emergency braking. Penalty escalation: $100 / $250 / misdemeanor per year.

Operating a vehicle with excessive exhaust noise under ECC 5.30.060 or 5.30.070, without a working muffler under ECC 5.30.080, or with unlawful tire noise under ECC 5.30.090, is enforced under the chapter's general penalty scheme in ECC 5.30.150: a $100.00 civil infraction for a first violation, $250.00 for a second violation within the same calendar year, and a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail for a third violation within that year.

The Bottom Line

Edmonds's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Edmonds is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Edmonds's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.