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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Amplified music rules in Pasco, 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

Residential quiet window
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Governing section
PMC 9.130.030(3)(a)
Outdoor advertising loudspeakers
banned at all hours, subsection (g)
Sanctioned park events cap
95 dBA for 1 minute at 50 feet
Shutdown threshold
105 dBA for 5 min in 30-min period

Summary

Pasco bars amplified music, sound amplifiers, and similar devices from being audible in a residential district between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Outdoor loudspeakers used for advertising or attracting attention are barred at any hour.

(a) Any sound made by the use of a musical instrument, whistle, sound amplifier, juke box, radio, television, or other similar device which emanates from a building, structure, or property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and is received within a residential district. ... (g) Any sound made by a loudspeaker or sound amplifier exterior to any building for commercial advertising or sales purposes or for attracting the attention of the public to any performance, show or other event.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).

Full Breakdown

and is received within a residential district. This is the city's core nighttime amplified-sound restriction, tied to the same hours used elsewhere in the noise chapter. Subsection (g) separately and permanently bars any sound made by a loudspeaker or sound amplifier exterior to a building used for commercial advertising or sales purposes, or for attracting public attention to a performance, show, or event, with no time-of-day exception. m. m. Friday and Saturday. 070(3). 060.

Violations & Fines

A violation of the nighttime amplified-sound rule is a civil infraction under PMC 9.130.090, with a penalty up to $250 per day of violation and an enhanced $250 to $500 penalty for a second offense within two years, incarceration excluded. A permitted event that exceeds the park sound-level thresholds in PMC 9.130.070 can be terminated on the spot as a public nuisance after notice to the event's designated on-site agent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play amplified music outside at night in Pasco?
Not in a residential district between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. PMC 9.130.030(3)(a) makes sound amplifiers, radios, musical instruments, and similar devices audible within a residential district during those hours a public disturbance noise.
Is an outdoor loudspeaker for advertising ever allowed?
No, PMC 9.130.030(3)(g) bans exterior loudspeakers or sound amplifiers used for commercial advertising or sales, or to attract attention to a performance or event, at any hour, without a time-of-day exception.
How loud can a permitted concert be in a Pasco park?
PMC 9.130.070 caps sanctioned musical events at an Leq of 95 dBA for one minute measured 50 feet from the source; the City can terminate the event if it hits 105 dBA for five minutes in any 30-minute period.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pasco

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