Federal Way, WA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Federal Way, WA, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Audibility limit
- Not audible beyond 50 feet
- Permit issuer
- Parks director
- Covered devices
- Radios, loudspeakers, instruments, record players
- Citywide noise rule
- General decibel limits: Chapter 7.10 FWRC
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $1,000 fine or 90 days
Summary
Federal Way bars using a radio, loudspeaker, musical instrument, or any device that reproduces sound audible more than 50 feet away in any city park unless the parks director issues a permit under FWRC 4.05.390. Citywide noise limits outside parks run separately under FWRC Chapter 7.10's decibel-based rules.
It is unlawful for any person to use, operate, or play or permit to be used, operated or played in any park, any radio, tape player, television, musical instrument, record player, loudspeaker, or any other machine or device producing or reproducing sound at a volume that is audible at a distance of over 50 feet therefrom, except pursuant to a permit issued by the director.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1049, passed August 11, 2026).
Full Breakdown
390 makes it unlawful to use, operate, or play, or to permit anyone else to use, operate, or play, a radio, tape player, television, musical instrument, record player, loudspeaker, or any other sound-producing or sound-reproducing device in a park at a volume audible more than 50 feet away, unless the parks director has issued a permit for that use. The 50-foot audibility test is measured from the device itself, not from the park boundary, so a portable speaker at a picnic shelter that carries past 50 feet without a permit violates the section even where the shelter sits deep inside a large park. 390 is the park-specific rule. 310 for the event as a whole.
Violations & Fines
Playing amplified sound audible beyond 50 feet in a Federal Way park without a director's permit violates FWRC 4.05.390 and FWRC 4.05.040. The general misdemeanor penalty in FWRC 1.10.010 applies: up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation charged separately. The parks director can also expel a violator from city parks for one to seven days under FWRC 4.05.050, and unpermitted sound equipment can be ordered shut down on the spot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play music through a speaker at a Federal Way park?
Do I need a separate permit for a PA system at my Federal Way park event?
How does the park noise rule differ from Federal Way's general noise ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Federal Way
Compare Federal Way to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.