Noise Ordinances in Edmonds, WA (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Edmonds, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
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.
Edmonds Nighttime Noise Rules, 10 PM to 7 AM
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.050(A); § 5.30.130(D)
5.30.050 Modification to maximum permissible sound levels. ... The maximum permissible sound levels established by this chapter shall be reduced or increased by the sum of the following: A. Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the noise levels shall be reduced by 10 dB(A) for receiving property within residential districts, except for noise from electrical substations and existing stat...
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.
Edmonds Limits Construction Noise To Set Hours
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.110(B)
B. Sounds originating from temporary construction sites as a result of construction activity are exempt from the provisions of this chapter, but only during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, excluding Sundays and federal holidays.
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.
Edmonds Bans Prolonged Animal Noise as Nuisance
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.05.115(B)(5), (C)
Nuisances are hereby defined to include, but are not limited to, the following: ... ... 5. Any animal which howls, yelps, whines, barks or makes any noises in such a manner as to disturb any person or neighborhood to an unreasonable degree, taken to be continuous noise for a period of 10 or more minutes or intermittent noise that totals a period of 20 or more minutes, except that such sounds ma...
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.
Edmonds Bans Disruptive Amplified Music Noise
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.130(C)
It is unlawful for any person knowingly to cause or make, or for any person in possession of property knowingly to allow to originate from the property, unreasonable noise which disturbs another, and to refuse or intentionally fail to cease the unreasonable noise when ordered to do so by a police officer. Public disturbance noises shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following sounds...
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.
Edmonds Exempts Aircraft Noise From City Ordinance
Few RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.100(A)(3)
A. The following sounds are exempt from the provisions of this chapter at all times: ... ... 3. Sounds originating from aircraft in flight, and from watercraft.
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.
Edmonds Sets Decibel Limits by Zoning District
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.040
5.30.040 Maximum permissible sound levels. The maximum permissible sound level as measured at the property line or anywhere within the receiving property shall be as set forth in the following table: +-------------------+-------------------------------------+ | District of Sound | District of Receiving Property | | Source | | +----------------...
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.
Edmonds Vehicle Exhaust and Muffler Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsEdmonds City Code § 5.30.060; § 5.30.080
5.30.060 Motor vehicle noises – Stationary test. ... It is unlawful for any person to operate any motor vehicle upon any public highway or easement road if the vehicle exhaust system exceeds the maximum permissible sound levels for the category of vehicle as measured at a distance of 20 inches (one-half meter) from the exhaust outlet under procedures set forth in Chapter 204-56 WAC, as now exis...
Looking for Snohomish County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Edmonds city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Snohomish County →