Yakima County, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Distance trigger
- Within 200 feet of a dwelling
- Standard
- Plainly audible and disturbing
- Generator exemption
- None listed in § 6.28.040
- Enforcement
- County sheriff, § 6.28.050
- Maximum penalty
- $500 civil infraction
Summary
Running a generator loud enough to be plainly audible inside a neighbor's dwelling, or generated within 200 feet of one, is unlawful noise under YCC § 6.28.030 if it annoys or disturbs. Generators get no carve-out in the county's exemption list, unlike lawn equipment or construction machinery.
It is unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued or any person in possession of property to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued or allow to originate from the property any sound which: (a) Is plainly audible within any dwelling unit which is not the source of the sound or is generated within two hundred feet of any dwelling unit; (b) Either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others. Sound which is "plainly audible" is sound that can be understood or identified.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4871853; v6 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
030 makes it unlawful for anyone in possession of property to make or allow any sound that is plainly audible within a dwelling unit that is not the source of the sound, or generated within 200 feet of any dwelling unit, and that annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others. 'Plainly audible' is defined in the same section as sound that can be understood or identified. 030 is enforceable. 010 frames the chapter as protecting the use, value and enjoyment of property and the public's sleep and repose, which is the standard code enforcement applies to a generator complaint.
135(4) requires recreational-vehicle camping areas accessory to an approved recreational use to sit at least 300 feet from the nearest dwelling specifically to mitigate generator noise, showing the county treats generator noise as a distinct nuisance worth its own buffer in that narrower land-use context.
Violations & Fines
A generator loud enough to be plainly audible inside a neighboring home, or run within 200 feet of one, and that annoys, disturbs or endangers a neighbor's peace violates § 6.28.030. The county sheriff and other law enforcement officers enforce the chapter under § 6.28.050, and a violation is a civil infraction punishable by a penalty of up to $500 under § 6.28.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is running a generator loudly against county rules in unincorporated Yakima County?
Are there hours when generator noise is allowed?
What is the penalty for a noise violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington noise from specific sources overview
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