Seattle, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Standard
- Amplified sound plainly audible inside dwelling
- First step
- Written warning required before citation
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,300 per day
- Response deadline
- 15 days to Hearing Examiner
- Enforcing agency
- SDCI Noise Administrator
Summary
Bars, clubs and other non-residential properties in Seattle cannot let amplified sound carry into a neighbor's home overnight. SMC 25.08.501 bans amplified noise plainly audible inside a receiving dwelling unit between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., enforced by SDCI's Noise Administrator with a warning first, then citations and civil penalties.
A. It is unlawful for any person in possession of real property, other than residential property, to allow to originate from that property between the hours of ten (10:00) p.m. and seven (7:00) a.m. amplified noise that is plainly audible to a person of normal hearing when measured inside a receiving dwelling unit. B. It is an affirmative defense to any proceeding arising under this section that the receiving dwelling unit was unoccupied at the time of the violation. C. The Administrator shall promulgate by rule a standard for amplified noise plainly audible to a person of normal hearing which can be measured using a sound level meter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Seattle Municipal Code § 25.08.501 makes it unlawful for anyone in possession of non-residential real property to allow amplified noise plainly audible to a person of normal hearing, measured inside a receiving dwelling unit, to originate from that property between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. It is an affirmative defense that the receiving unit was unoccupied when the violation occurred, and the Administrator (the Director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, or a designee, per SMC 25.08 definitions) must set the measurable sound-level-meter standard for "plainly audible" by rule.
Enforcement is graduated: under SMC 25.08.890, the Administrator can issue a citation for a 25.08.501 violation only after the property has already received a written warning within the previous 365 days, served by personal delivery, first-class mail, or posting on the property if the responsible person cannot be located. Once a citation issues, SMC 25.08.900 requires it to identify the violated provision, the date, and the applicable penalty, and the recipient has 15 days to respond to the Office of Hearing Examiner under SMC 25.08.910 by paying, requesting a mitigation hearing, or contesting the citation.
Because Section 25.08.501 is not among the sections carved out of the chapter's default penalty scheme (that carve-out covers only Sections 25.08.500, 25.08.505, 25.08.515 and Subchapter IV), a nightlife-disturbance violation is subject to the general civil penalty in SMC 25.08.800(A): up to $1,300 per day for each day the violation continues, in addition to any other legal or equitable remedy, with each day counted as a separate offense under SMC 25.08.800(E).
Violations & Fines
Nightlife disturbance carries no automatic fine on a first complaint. SDCI must serve a written warning before it can cite a repeat violation within 365 days. After that, a civil penalty of up to $1,300 per day applies for each day the amplified noise continues to be plainly audible inside a neighboring dwelling between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and a cited business has 15 days to pay, request mitigation, or contest before the Hearing Examiner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Seattle bar be cited the first time a neighbor complains about noise?
What noise standard applies to Seattle bars and nightclubs at night?
Is it a defense that no one was home next door?
How much can a Seattle nightclub be fined for repeat noise violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
Compare Seattle to another location·View the Washington noise from specific sources overview
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Bar & Nightclub Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle bar & nightclub noise.