Lynnwood, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Aircraft in flight
- Fully exempt from noise limits
- Airport flight-operation sound
- Fully exempt, all hours
- Ground engine testing/maintenance
- Exempt only 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Remote-site preference
- Required 'whenever possible'
- Governing section
- LMC 10.12.500(C)(3) and (F)(2)
Summary
Lynnwood exempts aircraft noise from its environmental noise limits. Sounds from aircraft in flight and airport sounds directly tied to flight operations are fully exempt under LMC 10.12.500(F)(2), while ground engine testing and maintenance is exempt only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Sounds created by aircraft engine testing and maintenance not related to flight operation; provided, that aircraft testing and maintenance shall be conducted at remote sites whenever possible; ... Sounds 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 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
500 sets maximum permissible dBA levels citywide, but subsection (F)(2) removes aircraft entirely from that scheme: sounds originating from aircraft in flight, and airport sounds directly related to flight operations, are exempt from the noise levels at all hours, with no daytime-only limitation. , and the section adds that such testing and maintenance shall be conducted at remote sites whenever possible, signaling the city expects operators to minimize the noise impact even while exempt. 500(A), enforceable as a Class B or Class C noise-source violation depending on the property's designation.
Because Lynnwood has no municipal airport of its own, this exemption chiefly matters for the sound of aircraft transiting the area and for any private aviation-related ground maintenance conducted within city limits in Snohomish County. The exemption structure was last codified by Ord. 3399 in 2021.
Violations & Fines
Because subsections (C)(3) and (F)(2) are exemptions, aircraft-in-flight and flight-operation sounds cannot be cited as a noise-disturbance violation at all. Ground engine testing or maintenance conducted outside 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., or not conducted at a remote site when one is available, loses its exemption and can be enforced as an ordinary violation of LMC 10.12.500, a misdemeanor under LMC 10.12.800.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complain about aircraft flying overhead in Lynnwood?
Is ground testing of aircraft engines regulated at all in Lynnwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
Compare Lynnwood 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.