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

PCC 8.72.090 makes it unlawful for anyone to cause, or for a property possessor to allow, a "public disturbance noise" to originate from their property, and lists specific banned sounds. Subsection B targets vehicle alarms directly: "the frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounding of any horn or siren attached to a motor vehicle, except as a warning of danger or as specifically permitted or required by law." A car alarm that repeatedly blares in a driveway or parking lot without an actual break-in or collision falls squarely within this ban.

Most public disturbance noise complaints in Pierce County require a neighbor, property owner, renter, or someone employed in the affected area to file a complaint before the Sheriff's Office will act (PCC 8.72.120.B.1). Vehicle noise is treated differently: PCC 8.72.120.C makes vehicle-related noise sections, including the horn and siren ban, "subject to enforcement proceedings with or without a citizen's complaint," so a deputy can act on an alarm they hear directly.

Violations are civil infractions rather than criminal charges, escalating with each repeat offense under PCC 8.72.130.B: a first violation is a Class 3 civil infraction, a second is Class 2, and any further violation is Class 1, with each continuing act of the noise treated as a separate offense. The exemption for a genuine "warning of danger," such as an alarm triggered by an actual break-in attempt, means a single legitimate trip of the alarm is not itself a violation; it is the frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounding without cause that the ordinance targets.