Bellevue, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Aircraft-in-flight noise
- fully exempt, BCC 9.18.020(A)(6)
- Applies to
- sound while aircraft is in flight
- Local enforcement available
- none under Ch. 9.18
- Similar carve-outs
- motor vehicles (WAC 173-62), watercraft (WAC 173)
Summary
Bellevue's noise ordinance flatly exempts sounds from aircraft in flight, so flight noise over the city, whether from planes bound for SeaTac, Boeing Field, or Renton Municipal, falls outside the chapter's decibel limits and disturbance rules entirely.
6. Sounds originating from aircraft in flight;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 6929, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020(A) lists sounds exempt from the entire noise control chapter, and subsection (A)(6) states plainly that sounds originating from aircraft in flight are exempt. 040, and not the nighttime 10 dBA reduction for residential zones, reaches noise generated by an aircraft actually in flight over the city. The exemption sits alongside similarly hands-off treatment for motor vehicle noise regulated under Chapter 173-62 WAC and watercraft noise regulated under WAC Title 173, both carved out in the same subsection list, reflecting that the city code defers to other regulatory schemes for those noise sources rather than asserting local decibel authority over them.
18: the development services director who administers the chapter and the police department that enforces noise disturbances both lack jurisdiction over sounds squarely covered by this exemption, since it is a chapter-wide carve-out rather than a discretionary enforcement choice.
Violations & Fines
None. Because aircraft-in-flight sound is exempt under BCC 9.18.020(A)(6), it cannot be cited as a noise disturbance under BCC 9.18.040 or as a civil violation of the decibel limits in BCC 9.18.030; no monetary penalty or abatement order under Chapter 9.18 applies to this noise source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint against aircraft flying over my Bellevue home?
Does Bellevue regulate airport or flight-path noise separately?
Why does Bellevue exempt aircraft noise but regulate other loud sources?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
Compare Bellevue to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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Aircraft Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle aircraft noise.