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Grant County, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section: GCC § 6.24.020(2)
Trigger: Alarm sounding more than 30 minutes
Audibility test: Must be heard off the property
Enforcing agency: Grant County Sheriff's Office
First offense: $150 civil infraction
Repeat offense: Misdemeanor, up to 90 days or $1,000

Summary

In unincorporated Grant County, a security alarm that sounds for more than thirty minutes, can be heard off the property, and unreasonably disturbs anyone's peace is a public noise disturbance under Grant County Code § 6.24.020(2). The Sheriff's Office enforces the rule with escalating civil and criminal penalties.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Grant County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(2)Security alarm which goes off for more than thirty minutes, which unreasonably disturbs the peace and comfort of any person and can be heard off the property on which the security alarm is located.

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Full Breakdown

020 defines a 'public noise disturbance' to include, at subsection (2), a security alarm which goes off for more than thirty minutes, which unreasonably disturbs the peace and comfort of any person and can be heard off the property on which the security alarm is located. The text does not limit the term to building alarms; as written it reaches any security alarm system, including a vehicle alarm, that meets the thirty-minute-and-audible-offsite test. 040 makes it unlawful for anyone to cause, continue, or allow such a disturbance to originate from property in their possession or control, or from public property, anywhere in the unincorporated county. 030. 36's permitting scheme.

Violations & Fines

A first citation for a runaway security alarm is a civil infraction with a $150 penalty under § 6.24.070. If the same person is later found to have violated the chapter again, the second offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to ninety days in the Grant County Jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a security or car alarm run before it violates Grant County's noise rules?

Grant County Code § 6.24.020(2) treats a security alarm that sounds for more than thirty minutes, can be heard off the property, and unreasonably disturbs anyone's peace as a public noise disturbance. Once it passes thirty minutes and is audible offsite, it is enforceable under § 6.24.040.

Does the alarm rule cover car alarms or just building alarms?

The text of § 6.24.020(2) refers broadly to any 'security alarm' without limiting it to buildings, so a vehicle alarm that runs past thirty minutes and disturbs neighbors offsite fits the same public noise disturbance definition enforced under § 6.24.040.

What penalty applies to a repeated alarm noise complaint?

A first violation is a $150 civil infraction under § 6.24.070. A second violation, once someone has already been found to have violated the chapter, is a misdemeanor carrying up to ninety days in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.

Sources & Official References

[1]Grant County Code (Municode)

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