Noise Ordinances in Port Townsend, WA (2026)
6 verified noise ordinances for Port Townsend, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Port Townsend has no fixed nighttime noise curfew: PTMC 9.09.030 bans disturbing noise at any hour under a nuisance standard, while construction and yard-equipment noise is only exempt 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends.
Port Townsend Noise Curfew: No Blanket Rule
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.040(B)
The following sound shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter between the hours of: 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays (other than holidays); and 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays... Sounds originating from residential property relating to temporary projects for the maintenance or repair of homes, grounds or appurtenances, such as created by powered or hand-operated eq...
Construction Hours
Construction noise in Port Townsend is exempt from the noise ordinance only 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends and holidays; outside those windows it's a regular noise violation.
Port Townsend Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.040(B)(1)
B. The following sound shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter between the hours of: • 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays (other than holidays); and • 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays. “Holidays” are legal holidays as defined by RCW 1.16.050. 1. Sound created by construction activity or equipment, including special construction vehicles (such being any vehi...
Barking Dogs
Port Townsend treats frequent or continuous barking, howling, yelping, or whining as a public disturbance noise under PTMC 9.09.030(C)(8), enforced through citizen complaints, police warnings, and escalating civil infraction fines.
Port Townsend Barking Dog Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.030(C)(8) (cross-referenced from PTMC 8.04.200)
Barking and other noise prohibited. Animal noise shall be regulated as set forth in PTMC 9.09.030(C)(8). ... The frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds made by any animal, owned by or in the possession of a person, including but not limited to, barking, howling, yelping, or whining. Animal noise defined in this section is hereby declared to be a public nuisance, and is subject...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Port Townsend treats loud outdoor music and amplified sound as a public disturbance noise violation, enforced complaint by complaint with a police warning before any citation, though venues in the historic commercial district get a 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. amplified-sound exemption.
Port Townsend outdoor amplified music noise limits
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.030(C)(5)
The creation of loud and frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds made by the use of a musical instrument, sound amplifier, or other device or combination of devices, capable of producing or reproducing sound. 6. The creation of loud and frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds from any sound system, such as radios, compact disc players, or tape players. 7....
Decibel Limits
Port Townsend adopts Washington's WAC 173-60 environmental noise limits, setting decibel ceilings that vary by zone class, with industrial-zoned property held to a separate industrial noise classification enforced by the police department.
Port Townsend Industrial Noise Standards
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.020
There is adopted for the city, as part of the Port Townsend Municipal Code, the following: Chapter 173-60 WAC, Maximum Environmental Noise Levels, specifically and including WAC 173-60-040, Maximum permissible noise levels... "Industrial zones" means all zoning districts of the city which are not set forth above, namely, zoning districts other than residential zoning districts, commercial zonin...
Vehicle Noise
Car stereos audible past 50 feet from a moving vehicle and unmuffled compression (engine) brakes are both banned in Port Townsend.
Port Townsend Car Stereo & Brake Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsPTMC 9.09.030(D)
The playing, using, operating or permitting to be played or used or operated of any sound system from a moving motor vehicle, such as radios, compact disc players, or tape players, operated at a volume as to be audible at distances greater than 50 feet from the location of the vehicle is a "public disturbance noise." The 50-foot requirement does not apply to a motor vehicle that is standing or ...