Amplified music rules in Kennewick, WA — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Amplified music in Kennewick is regulated under the Kennewick Municipal Code's public-disturbance noise provisions, which treat amplified sound that is plainly audible at a neighboring property line, or which exceeds the WAC 173-60-040 maximum environmental noise levels, as a civil infraction. The standard is content-neutral under Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), 576 U.S. 155, and applies equally to live bands, recorded music, public-address systems, and outdoor speakers at the Toyota Center entertainment district.
Amplified music inside Kennewick is bounded by three layers. First, the Kennewick Municipal Code's public-disturbance noise provisions, hosted on Code Publishing, prohibit amplified sound audible at the property line of a neighboring dwelling or at 50 feet from the source in a public right-of-way. The audibility standard is content-neutral and so survives First Amendment scrutiny under Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), 576 U.S. 155, which subjects content-based regulations to strict scrutiny but leaves manner restrictions in place. Second, WAC 173-60-040 sets the dBA caps at the receiver - 55 dBA from Class A residential, 57 from Class B commercial, 60 from Class C industrial sources at a residential receiver during the day, each lowered by 10 dBA between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Third, Kennewick may impose individualized noise conditions on special-event permits issued for festivals, the Three Rivers Convention Center, the Toyota Center, and Columbia Park events under KMC Title 5 or Title 12; those conditions can supersede the general standard for the permitted event. Vehicle sound systems are regulated separately by the vehicle-noise rules in RCW 46.37.390 and WAC 173-62.
Amplified-music violations are civil infractions enforceable by Kennewick Police, with fines set by the city's bail schedule. Active disturbances often trigger an officer warning followed by a citation on a repeat call within 24 hours. Permit-condition violations at venues like the Toyota Center may trigger event-permit revocation and city follow-up under KMC Title 5.
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