Spokane County, WA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Chapter 6.12 of the Spokane County Code defines a "noise disturbance" broadly enough to cover amplified sound: any radio, television set, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or other device that produces sound frequently, repetitively, or continuously from a building, structure, or property in a residential area, and that annoys or disturbs the peace, comfort, or repose of a reasonable person of normal sensitivity, violates SCC 6.12.010(b)(1). The rule carries no fixed decibel meter; enforcement turns on whether the sound is objectively disturbing to a reasonable neighbor, so a complaint from someone who hears a stereo or live band through a wall or across a property line is enough to trigger an investigation.

The chapter carves out specific exemptions in SCC 6.12.020. Sounds from officially sanctioned parades and other public events are exempt outright, as are sounds from organized activities in public parks, playgrounds, gymnasiums, and swimming pools during their hours of operation. Noncommercial public speaking and public assembly activity conducted under a permit on public property is excluded from Section 6.12.010 entirely. Barking dogs and other animal noise fall under the separate Chapter 5.04 dog control ordinance rather than this noise chapter.

Two enforcement tracks run side by side. SCC 6.12.030 makes any violation of Chapter 6.12 a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in the Spokane County Jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. SCC 6.12.040 gives the county an alternative civil path: a $50-per-day civil infraction, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense, processed under RCW Chapter 7.80 in Spokane County District Court.