Noise Ordinances in Walla Walla County, WA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Walla Walla County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.040(A) cuts the general sound-level limits by ten dB(A) between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends, whenever the receiving property sits in a residential district, functioning as the county's nighttime quiet-hours rule enforced by the Sheriff.
Walla Walla County Nighttime Quiet Hours Noise Reduction
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code § 9.20.040(A)
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 ten p.m. and five a.m. during weekdays, and between the hours of ten p.m. and nine a.m. on weekends, the levels established by Section 9.20.030 of this chapter are reduced by ten dB (A) where the receiving property lies within a residential district ...
Construction Hours
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.070(E) exempts construction equipment and temporary construction-site sounds from the noise chapter between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays and 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekends, meaning construction noise outside those windows loses its exemption and can be cited as a public disturbance noise.
Walla Walla County Permitted Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code § 9.20.070(E)
The following sounds are exempt from the provisions of this chapter between the hours of five a.m. and ten p.m. on weekdays and between the hours of five a.m. and eleven p.m. on weekends: ... E.Sounds created by construction equipment, including special construction vehicles, and emanating from temporary construction sites, if the receiving property is located in a residential district of the c...
Barking Dogs
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.050(F) makes it a public disturbance noise for any animal on a property to make frequent, repetitive vocal sounds lasting more than ten minutes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., or more than twenty minutes between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., a rule the Sheriff enforces as a civil infraction in the unincorporated county.
Walla Walla County Barking Dog and Animal Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code § 9.20.050(F)
It is unlawful for any person to cause, or for any person in possession of property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public disturbance noise. The following sounds are determined to be public disturbance noises: ... F.The frequent, repetitive or continuous sounds caused by the vocal emanations of any animal kept on the property of the sound source which continue for peri...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.030 caps ambient sound by district, from 49 dB(A) rural-to-rural up to 70 dB(A) industrial-to-industrial, and § 9.20.050(C) separately bans running a sound amplifier on public streets for advertising or to attract attention except as permitted by law, both enforced by the Sheriff as a public disturbance noise infraction in unincorporated Walla Walla County.
Walla Walla County Sound Amplifier and Noise Level Limits
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code §§ 9.20.030(A), 9.20.050(C)
A.For sound sources located within the county of Walla Walla, the maximum permissible sound levels are as follows: DISTRICT OF SOUND SOURCE DISTRICT OF RECEIVING PROPERTY WITHIN THE COUNTY OF WALLA WALLA Rural Residential Commercial Industrial R ... esidential 52 dB (A) 57 dB (A) 57 dB (A) 60 dB (A) ... C.The use of a sound amplifier or other device capable of producing or reproducing amplified...
Aircraft Noise
Walla Walla County Code exempts aircraft entirely from its noise chapter: § 9.20.060(A) excuses sounds from aircraft in flight and airport flight operations at all times, and § 9.20.070(D) excuses aircraft testing and maintenance from 6 a.m. daily, so no county noise infraction applies to normal aircraft activity in the unincorporated county.
Walla Walla County Exempts Aircraft Noise From Its Code
Few RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code §§ 9.20.060(A), 9.20.070(D)
The following sounds are exempt from the provisions of this chapter at all times: A.Sounds originating from aircraft in flight and sounds which originate at airports and are directly related to flight operations; ... The following sounds are exempt from the provisions of this chapter between the hours of five a.m. and ten p.m. on weekdays and between the hours of five a.m. and eleven p.m. on we...
Decibel Limits
Unincorporated Walla Walla County caps sound crossing property lines by district under Walla Walla County Code Section 9.20.030, ranging from 49 dB(A) rural-to-rural up to 70 dB(A) industrial-to-industrial. Section 9.20.040 cuts every limit by another 10 dB(A) at night for residential receivers, and the Sheriff's Office enforces the chapter under Section 9.20.090.
Walla Walla County Noise Decibel Limits By Zone
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code § 9.20.030
A.For sound sources located within the county of Walla Walla, the maximum permissible sound levels are as follows: ... Rural Residential Commercial Industrial Rural 49 dB (A) 52 dB (A) 55 dB (A) 57 dB (A) Residential 52 dB (A) 57 dB (A) 57 dB (A) 60 dB (A) Commercial 55 dB (A) 57 dB (A) 60 dB (A) 65 dB (A) Industrial 57 dB (A) 60 dB (A) 65 dB (A) 70 dB (A)
Vehicle Noise
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.050(A), (B) and (G) ban frequent honking or sirens except as warnings, loud starting, repair, rebuilding or testing of any motor vehicle, motorcycle or engine in a residential district, and car or portable audio equipment audible more than seventy-five feet away, all as public disturbance noise the Sheriff can cite as an infraction in unincorporated Walla Walla County.
Walla Walla County Vehicle Horn, Engine and Stereo Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County Code § 9.20.050(A), (B), (G)
It is unlawful for any person to cause, or for any person in possession of property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public disturbance noise. The following sounds are determined to be public disturbance noises: A.The frequent, repetitive or continuous sounding of any horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle, except as a warning of danger or as specifically permitted or...
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