Mason County, WA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Mason County, 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
- Governing section
- Mason County Code Section 9.36.120(4)
- Prohibited
- Street sound amplifiers for advertising or attention-grabbing
- Exception
- Vendors selling solely from a moving vehicle
- Residential amplified sound
- Covered separately under Section 9.36.120(6)
- First-offense penalty
- $30 civil penalty
Summary
Unincorporated Mason County restricts amplified sound used to sell or advertise on public streets. Code Section 9.36.120(4) bans a sound amplifier or similar device used on public streets for commercial advertising, sales pitches, or attracting attention to a vehicle or structure, while exempting vendors who sell solely from a moving vehicle.
9.36.120 - Public disturbance noises. It is unlawful for any person to cause, or for any person in possession of real or personal property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public disturbance noise. The following sounds are hereby determined to be public disturbance noises: ... (4)The use of a sound amplifier or other device capable of producing amplified sound upon public streets for the purpose of commercial advertising or sales or for attracting the attention of the public to any vehicle, structure, to the contents therein, except as permitted by law, and except vendors whose sole method of selling is from a moving vehicle shall be exempt from this subsection;
Full Breakdown
Section 9.36.120, the public disturbance noise provision of the Noise Control chapter, addresses amplified sound in subsection (4): it prohibits the use of a sound amplifier or other device capable of producing amplified sound upon public streets for the purpose of commercial advertising or sales, or for attracting the attention of the public to a vehicle, structure or its contents, except as permitted by law, and except vendors whose sole method of selling is from a moving vehicle are exempt from this subsection. The provision targets street-level commercial amplification, sound trucks, loudspeaker advertising, and attention-grabbing amplified pitches, rather than a general music-decibel standard; residential amplified sound such as a home stereo or band session is instead addressed separately under Section 9.36.120(6).
Mason County has no numeric dBA cap specific to amplified sound equipment beyond the general EDNA table in Section 9.36.060, so an amplifier used off the public street still must meet the class-based limits there (55 to 75 dBA depending on source and receiving property class). Section 9.36.020 directs the sheriff's office to administer complaints under this chapter around the clock.
Violations & Fines
A commercial sound amplifier used on a public street in violation of Section 9.36.120(4) faces the Section 9.36.310 civil penalty schedule: thirty dollars for a first violation, one hundred dollars for a second, and two hundred fifty dollars for a third and each subsequent violation within one year, plus misdemeanor exposure under Section 9.36.320 for refusing a deputy's order to shut it off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business use a loudspeaker on a Mason County street to advertise a sale?
Does this rule cover a stereo playing loudly at a house party instead?
Is there a decibel number for amplified sound equipment in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mason County
Compare Mason County to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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