Walla Walla County, WA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Walla Walla County Code Chapter 17.34 governs wireless communication facilities (cell towers and similar equipment) sited anywhere in unincorporated Walla Walla County, and its noise section, WWCC 17.34.070, requires that any standby power generator serving such a facility carry mufflers or other attenuation devices so the equipment does not become a nuisance to the residences around it. The rule sits inside the county's WCF development standards, alongside height limits and co-location and screening requirements, so it applies specifically to backup generators tied to communication towers, not to a homeowner's portable unit.

For noise from other sources on unincorporated property, including residential or commercial standby generators, the applicable law is the county's general noise ordinance, WWCC Chapter 9.20, which the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office is directed to enforce under WWCC 9.20.090. WWCC 9.20.100 sets the penalty for any violation of that chapter as an infraction punishable by a monetary penalty of not more than five hundred dollars for each separate infraction, and Chapter 9.20 sets maximum permissible sound levels that vary by the zoning district of the source and the receiving property.

Complaints about generator noise, whether from a wireless facility site or a neighboring property, can be directed to the sheriff's office for enforcement of Chapter 9.20, or to Community Development for a wireless-facility muffler violation under 17.34.070, since the two chapters cover different sources of the same problem.