Shoreline, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

Section 9.05.070 opens by declaring it unlawful for any person to knowingly cause, or knowingly allow to originate from property, sound that is a public nuisance, defined as any sound that unreasonably annoys, injures, interferes with, or endangers the comfort, repose, or health of a person. Subsection (E) then names one specific source: frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounds emanating from any building, structure, apartment, or condominium, such as musical instruments, audio sound systems, band sessions, or social gatherings. Nothing in the text singles out bars or nightclubs by name, but the subsection's language, covering audio sound systems and band sessions inside a structure, squarely reaches live or amplified music venues, taverns, and event spaces operating in Shoreline's commercial districts.

Unlike Table 1's zone-based decibel caps at § 9.05.040, this nuisance standard doesn't require a sound-level-meter reading; § 9.05.030(A) notes public disturbance noises can be discrete or intermittent and not measurable at the time, so an officer can act on the character and persistence of the sound alone. Enforcement runs through § 9.05.090: the code enforcement officer or Shoreline Police Department can issue a civil infraction with a $100.00 fine, each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense, appealable to King County District Court, West Division (Shoreline). The penalty provision also lets the city pursue other remedies beyond the fine when a venue's noise problem persists.