Everett, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- EMC 20.08.100(A)(1)
- In-flight aircraft noise
- Exempt at all times
- Ground engine testing exemption
- 7 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays only (EMC 20.08.110(B))
- Enforcing official
- Police chief or building official (administrator)
- Related exemption
- Federal military facility noise, also exempt
Summary
Everett's noise ordinance does not regulate aircraft noise. EMC 20.08.100(A)(1) exempts noise from aircraft in flight and airport sounds directly tied to flight operations at all times, so there is no decibel limit, curfew, or nuisance citation available against overflight noise from Paine Field or Naval Station Everett within city limits.
A. The following noises are exempt at all times from this chapter:
1. Noise originating from aircraft in flight, and sounds which originate at airports and are directly related to flight operations;
2. Noise created by the operation of equipment or facilities of surface carriers engaged in commerce by railroad;
3. Noises created on property of federal military facilities;
4. Noise created by watercraft and float planes in operation; ... 14. Noises in compliance with a lawfully issued noise variance permit or SEPA determination.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4194-26, passed July 29, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020) using both a decibel-based standard for fixed sources and a "plainly audible" standard for episodic noise. 100 carves out fourteen categories of noise that are exempt from the whole chapter "at all times," and the first one on the list is aircraft: noise from aircraft in flight and airport sounds directly related to flight operations. That exemption sits alongside others for railroad equipment, federal military facilities (relevant given Naval Station Everett), watercraft and float planes, emergency equipment, and noise covered by a lawfully issued variance or SEPA determination.
on weekends and holidays, the same daytime window that covers temporary construction noise and blasting under that section. 040. 20 RCW and the Department of Ecology's maximum environmental noise level regulations under Chapter 173-60 WAC, but aircraft noise sits outside that framework too because federal law occupies the field of flight-path and in-flight aircraft noise regulation.
Violations & Fines
Because in-flight aircraft and airport-flight-operation noise is exempt "at all times" under EMC 20.08.100(A)(1), it cannot generate a violation, notice and order, or civil penalty under Chapter 20.08 or the citywide enforcement procedures in EMC Chapter 1.20. Ground engine testing or maintenance noise outside the 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekday window (9 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends/holidays) loses its EMC 20.08.110(B) exemption and can be enforced like any other environmental sound violation, with penalties running through EMC Chapter 1.20's general civil-code-enforcement track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint against Boeing or Naval Station Everett aircraft?
Is ground engine testing at Paine Field or the Everett airstrip ever regulated?
Why doesn't Everett just set a decibel limit for aircraft?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Everett
Compare Everett to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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Aircraft Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle aircraft noise.