How Lynnwood Handles Noise Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Lynnwood maintains 115 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with noise ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Lynnwood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Vehicle Noise

Lynnwood, Washington requires every motor vehicle exhaust to run through a working muffler and bans stereo or radio noise loud enough to be heard 50 feet from the vehicle, under LMC 10.12.300(B)(4) and (B)(9). Motor vehicles must also stay under separate decibel ceilings set in LMC 10.12.600's sound-level tables.

Key details: Muffler requirement: LMC 10.12.300(B)(4). Stereo audibility rule: Plainly audible at 50 feet. Auto/light truck limit: 72 dBA at 45 mph or less. Stereo violation penalty: Class 1 civil infraction. Muffler violation penalty: Misdemeanor, LMC 10.12.800.

A defective-muffler violation of LMC 10.12.300(B)(4) or an exhaust-level violation of LMC 10.12.600 is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800. A car-stereo violation of LMC 10.12.300(B)(9) is instead a Class 1 civil infraction under RCW 7.80.120, and in-use vehicle sound-level violations are also enforced as traffic infractions under Chapter 46.37 RCW.

Leaf Blower Rules

Lynnwood, Washington bars leaf blowers, saws, drills and other powered lawn and garden equipment used outdoors in residential areas between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under LMC 10.12.300(B)(10). A violation crossing a residential property line during those hours is a noise disturbance and a misdemeanor under city code.

Key details: Restricted hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Governing section: LMC 10.12.300(B)(10). Covered equipment: Saws, drills, blowers, garden tools. Enforcing agency: Lynnwood Police Department. Penalty class: Misdemeanor, LMC 10.12.800.

Operating a leaf blower or similar power tool outdoors in a residential area between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. so it disturbs a neighbor's property is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800, the general penalty section for Chapter 10.12 noise violations, enforced by the Lynnwood Police Department under LMC 10.12.700(A).

Quiet Hours

Lynnwood, Washington enforces a 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. noise curfew: LMC 10.12.300(B)(7) bans yelling, shouting or singing that disturbs residents during those hours, and LMC 10.12.500(B)(1) automatically cuts the citywide maximum permissible noise level by 10 dBA overnight for residential (Class A) receiving property.

Key details: Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Nighttime reduction: 10 dBA lower, Class A property. Yelling/shouting rule: LMC 10.12.300(B)(7). Brief-spike allowance: Up to 15 dBA for 90 seconds/hour. Penalty: Misdemeanor, LMC 10.12.800.

Making noise that violates the 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. prohibitions in LMC 10.12.300(B), or exceeding the nighttime-reduced maximum permissible noise level in LMC 10.12.500(B)(1), is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800, enforced by the Lynnwood Police Department or the development and business services department under LMC 10.12.700.

Construction Hours

Lynnwood confines construction noise, including excavation, demolition, alteration or repair of buildings, to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays in residential, apartment, hotel and business districts. Work outside that window needs prior mayor's-office approval for urgent public-safety necessity, and violations are a misdemeanor.

Key details: Allowed hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays. Weekend/night work: Requires mayor's office approval. Applies to: Residential, apartment, hotel, business districts. Penalty: Misdemeanor (LMC 10.12.800). Approval routed through: Department of Public Works, LMC 2.44.040.

A conviction for violating LMC 10.12.300, including its construction-hours clause, is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800. The Lynnwood Police Department enforces noise disturbances citywide, while the development and business services department administers noise from residential, commercial and industrial sources under LMC 10.12.700. After-hours or weekend work requires mayor's-office approval routed through the department of public works per LMC 2.44.040.

Barking Dogs

Lynnwood, Washington makes it a noise disturbance to own, keep, possess or harbor an animal that frequently or habitually howls, barks or makes other noise, under LMC 10.12.300(B)(8). The rule expressly reaches animal pounds and other facilities that hold or treat animals, not just private pet owners.

Key details: Governing section: LMC 10.12.300(B)(8). Standard: Frequent or habitual barking/noise. Also covers: Animal pounds and holding facilities. Enforcing agency: Lynnwood Police Department. Penalty class: Misdemeanor, LMC 10.12.800.

Owning, keeping, possessing or harboring an animal whose frequent or habitual barking, howling or noisemaking disturbs neighbors is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800, enforced by the Lynnwood Police Department under LMC 10.12.700(A) as a violation of LMC 10.12.300(B)(8).

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Lynnwood bans loudspeakers and amplifiers outright in residential-zoned districts under LMC 10.12.300(D). Anywhere else, projecting amplified sound above ambient level beyond the property line requires a permit from the mayor's office, which can restrict the time, area and volume allowed.

Key details: Residential zones: Loudspeakers/amplifiers banned outright. Other zones: Permit required from mayor's office. Permit conditions: Time, area and volume limits. Penalty: Misdemeanor (LMC 10.12.800). Last amended: Ord. 2076 § 1, 1996.

A conviction for violating LMC 10.12.300, which includes the loudspeaker subsection, is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800. The Lynnwood Police Department enforces noise disturbances under LMC 10.12.700(A); the development and business services department separately enforces noise from commercial and industrial sources under LMC 10.12.700(B).

This is one of the stricter rules in Lynnwood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Decibel Limits

Lynnwood caps environmental noise at the receiving property line using an EDNA classification system: 55 to 70 dBA depending on the noise source's and receiving property's class under LMC 10.12.500's Table I. Nighttime limits drop 10 dBA for Class A (residential) receiving property between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Key details: Class A receiving property: 55-60 dBA depending on source. Class B receiving property: 57-65 dBA depending on source. Class C receiving property: 60-70 dBA depending on source. Nighttime reduction: -10 dBA for Class A, 10pm-7am. Brief exceedance allowed: 5 dBA/15min, 10 dBA/5min, 15 dBA/1.5min per hour.

Violating the noise limits of LMC 10.12.500 is enforced as a violation of LMC 10.12.300(A)'s general noise-disturbance prohibition, and a conviction is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800. The development and business services department administers noise limits for residential, commercial and industrial sources under LMC 10.12.700(B), while the police department handles noise disturbances generally under LMC 10.12.700(A).

Aircraft Noise

Lynnwood exempts aircraft noise from its environmental noise limits. Sounds from aircraft in flight and airport sounds directly tied to flight operations are fully exempt under LMC 10.12.500(F)(2), while ground engine testing and maintenance is exempt only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Key details: Aircraft in flight: Fully exempt from noise limits. Airport flight-operation sound: Fully exempt, all hours. Ground engine testing/maintenance: Exempt only 7 a.m.-10 p.m.. Remote-site preference: Required 'whenever possible'. Governing section: LMC 10.12.500(C)(3) and (F)(2).

Because subsections (C)(3) and (F)(2) are exemptions, aircraft-in-flight and flight-operation sounds cannot be cited as a noise-disturbance violation at all. Ground engine testing or maintenance conducted outside 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., or not conducted at a remote site when one is available, loses its exemption and can be enforced as an ordinary violation of LMC 10.12.500, a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Lynnwood gives residents more flexibility on aircraft noise.

The Bottom Line

Lynnwood'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 Lynnwood is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Lynnwood's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.