Puyallup, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Frequent/repetitive/continuous horn or siren sounding
- Exception
- Genuine danger warning or legally required
- Complaint requirement
- None: enforceable without a citizen complaint
- Max civil penalty
- $250.00 under PMC § 6.16.100
- Governing section
- PMC § 6.16.050(2)(b)
Summary
Frequent, repetitive or continuous sounding of a motor vehicle horn or siren, including alarm noise, is banned as a public disturbance noise in Puyallup under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(b), unless it's a genuine danger warning or otherwise required by law.
(b) The frequent, repetitive or continuous sounding of any horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle except as a warning of danger or specifically permitted or required by law; ... Only after a complaint has been received from an identified person who owns, rents, or leases property that is affected by a noise source may a civil infraction be issued; provided, that the section of this chapter relating to motor vehicles and noise emanating therefrom shall be subject to enforcement proceedings regardless of whether a complaint has been received
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
050(2)(b) lists 'the frequent, repetitive or continuous sounding of any horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle' as a public disturbance noise, unless the sound is a warning of actual danger or is specifically permitted or required by law, covering a car alarm that keeps triggering as well as a horn someone leans on. 050(2), the chapter's catalog of sounds treated as unlawful public disturbance noise when they originate from a person or from property in that person's control. ' That means Puyallup police don't have to wait for a neighbor to call in before acting on a car alarm or horn problem, unlike most other noise sources in the chapter. 040, which separately bars operating a vehicle without a working muffler and bars illegally altering a vehicle to change its sound output.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the horn/siren provision is punishable as a civil infraction with a maximum penalty of $250.00 under PMC § 6.16.100, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Unlike most noise complaints in this chapter, motor vehicle noise violations, including horns and alarms, can be enforced under PMC § 6.16.080(1) without waiting for a citizen complaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a car alarm that keeps going off illegal in Puyallup?
Do police need a complaint before acting on vehicle horn noise?
What's the penalty for violating the horn/siren rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
Compare Puyallup to another location·View the Washington noise from specific sources overview
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Car Alarm Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle car alarm limits.