Noise Ordinances in Whatcom County, WA (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Whatcom County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Washington sets no universal statewide quiet hours, but WAC 173-60 lowers allowable residential noise by 10 dBA overnight (to 45 dBA, 10 PM to 7 AM). Whatcom County and Bellingham enforce these limits on complaint.
Whatcom County Noise & Quiet Hours Rules
Some RestrictionsWAC 173-60-040
Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the noise limitations of the foregoing table shall be reduced by 10 dBA for receiving property within Class A EDNAs.
Barking Dogs
Whatcom County treats prolonged barking as a nuisance infraction: WCC 6.04.060(E) makes it unlawful for a dog's owner or keeper to allow continuous barking for more than a 20-minute period, and any violation of that standard, like the chapter's other listed nuisances, is enforced as a civil infraction rather than a criminal charge.
Whatcom County Barking Dog Time Limit
Some RestrictionsWhatcom County Code § 6.04.060(E)
Violations of any of the following requirements or standards constitute a nuisance and shall be an infraction. ... E. No owner or keeper of any dog shall allow continuous barking for more than a 20-minute period.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Whatcom County has no fixed decibel or curfew limit for amplified sound. WCC § 9.40.010 instead bans any loud or unusual noise, including amplified music, that wilfully disturbs a neighborhood's peace or annoys a reasonable person living nearby, judged against listed factors like volume, timing and duration, with violations charged as a misdemeanor.
Whatcom County Loud Noise Ordinance
Some RestrictionsWCC § 9.40.010
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns, leases, operates or is otherwise in control of any premises to wilfully make or continue, or cause to be made or continued, any loud or unusual noise which disturbs the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area.
Decibel Limits
WCC § 20.80.620 bars any development in unincorporated Whatcom County from exceeding the maximum environmental noise level set by Chapter 173-60 WAC, the state's numeric decibel standard, and lets individual zoning districts impose tighter limits on top of it. The rule applies countywide as a baseline development standard, not a case-by-case nuisance judgment.
Whatcom County Environmental Noise Limit Rule
Some RestrictionsWhatcom County Code § 20.80.620
No development shall exceed the maximum environmental noise level established by Chapter 173-60 WAC. More rigorous standards may be specified in regulations of specific zoning districts.
Noise Ordinances by City in Whatcom County
1 cities in Whatcom County have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Whatcom County ordinances
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