Richland, WA Noise from Specific Sources: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (2026)

Subsection (C)(10) groups HVAC and yard equipment together with power tools under one public-disturbance-noise rule: 'any sound made by operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered saw, drill, sander, grinder, lawn or garden tool or air conditioner, fan or blower, or similar device which is audible greater than 50 feet from residential areas between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. so as to cause a noise disturbance across a boundary.' Unlike the amplified-sound and voice subsections, (C)(10) applies a single citywide window, 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., rather than a separate central-business-district hour, and it is triggered specifically by audibility from residential areas across a property boundary.

A window air conditioner, rooftop condenser, or exhaust fan that runs loudly enough to carry 50 feet into a residential area overnight falls squarely within the rule, alongside contractor tools like sanders and grinders. Enforcement follows the same two-step path as the rest of § 9.16.045: a first complaint results in a verbal or written warning under § 9.16.070(A), and only a second or subsequent violation after that documented notice becomes a misdemeanor under § 9.16.070(B) and § 9.02.020(C). Property owners running HVAC maintenance or repair work during the day are separately protected by the § 9.16.050 exemption for 'installation or repair of essential utility services' between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.