Franklin County, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Franklin County Code § 8.24.010(B)(2)
- Covered sound
- Horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle
- Exception
- Warning of danger or legally required
- Criminal penalty
- Up to 90 days jail and/or $1,000 fine
- Civil alternative
- $50 per day
- Enforcing agency
- Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Franklin County Code § 8.24.010(B)(2) makes sound from a horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle a public noise disturbance in unincorporated Franklin County, unless it is warning of danger or required by law. That covers a car alarm that repeatedly triggers a horn, and the Sheriff's Office can cite the owner.
2.Sounds created by a horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle, except as a warning of danger or as specifically permitted or required by law;
Full Breakdown
24 does not use the word "alarm," but its horn-and-siren clause squarely reaches what a car alarm does: it sounds the vehicle's horn or siren. 010(B)(2) lists sounds created by a horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle as a public noise disturbance, carving out only sounds that warn of danger or are specifically permitted or required by law, such as a horn used to avoid a collision. A car alarm that repeatedly sets off the horn on a false or nuisance trigger falls outside that danger-warning exception once it stops functioning as a genuine warning.
010(A) still applies too: any sound from property in a person's possession that creates a "noise disturbance" is independently unlawful, so a parked vehicle with a malfunctioning alarm can be cited under either clause. 020, covering aircraft, emergency equipment, parades and similar categories, mentions vehicle alarms or horns, so there is no separate safe harbor for a car alarm beyond the danger-warning exception written into (B)(2) itself. Enforcement is countywide within the unincorporated area and runs through the Sheriff's Office, which can issue a citation directly or refer the matter for a civil infraction in Franklin County District Court.
Violations & Fines
Like other Chapter 8.24 violations, a horn or siren disturbance is a misdemeanor under § 8.24.030(A), punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The county may instead cite it as a civil infraction under § 8.24.030(B) carrying a $50 daily penalty, with each day of a continuing alarm treated as a separate violation in Franklin County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a car alarm going off repeatedly illegal in Franklin County?
Who enforces the car alarm rule in unincorporated Franklin County?
What's the fine for a nuisance car alarm?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin County
Compare Franklin County to another location·View the Washington noise from specific sources overview
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