Kent, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt provision
- KCC 8.05.140(2)
- Covers
- In-flight aircraft and flight-related airport sound
- Not exempt
- Non-flight engine testing/maintenance, daytime only (8.05.110(3))
- Enforcement
- None; noise control office has no jurisdiction
- Related section
- KCC 8.05.160 bars nuisance-noise claims too
Summary
Kent's noise code completely exempts aircraft noise from regulation: sound from aircraft in flight and sound originating at airports that's directly related to flight operations is excluded from every provision of KCC 8.05.090, the city's maximum permissible noise level standard. The exemption sits in KCC 8.05.140(2), alongside similar carve-outs for public-road traffic and interstate railroads.
8.05.140 Other exemptions. The following shall be exempt from all provisions of KCC 8.05.090:
1. Sound created by the normal operation of motor vehicles upon a public right-of-way.
2. Sound originating from aircraft in flight and sounds that originate at airports which are directly related to flight operations.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
090 caps environmental noise using Table I, which sets maximum decibel levels a source may impose on neighboring property by Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement (EDNA) class, from 55 dBA between two Class A (residential) properties up to 70 dBA between two Class C (industrial) properties. 05's provisions rather than just the daytime or nighttime exemptions found elsewhere in the chapter. Item 2 removes sound originating from aircraft in flight and sounds that originate at airports which are directly related to flight operations from the city's noise jurisdiction entirely, alongside motor vehicles on public rights-of-way, interstate railroad carriers, short warning devices, and officially sanctioned parades.
200) to force enforcement against airport or in-flight aircraft sound. , meaning ground-based engine testing outside those hours is not automatically protected the way in-flight and airport-related sound is.
Violations & Fines
Because aircraft-in-flight and flight-related airport noise fall entirely outside KCC 8.05.090 and 8.05.180, the noise control office has no authority to issue a notice and order, assess the chapter's $250 civil fine, or treat the sound as a nuisance. A complaint filed under KCC 8.05.200 against exempted aircraft or airport noise will not result in enforcement action under Chapter 8.05.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint against Sea-Tac or Renton Municipal Airport flights over Kent?
Does the aircraft exemption cover airport ground noise like engine testing?
Where else could I raise aircraft noise concerns in Kent?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
Compare Kent 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.