Port Townsend, WA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Port Townsend, 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 law
- PTMC 9.09.030(C)(5), public disturbance noise
- Standard
- Complaint-based, no fixed decibel limit
- First offense penalty
- $66 civil infraction
- Historic district exemption
- 7 a.m.–1 a.m., C-III district only
- Repeat violations
- Misdemeanor after 3 in a year
Summary
Port Townsend treats loud outdoor music and amplified sound as a public disturbance noise violation, enforced complaint by complaint with a police warning before any citation, though venues in the historic commercial district get a 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. amplified-sound exemption.
The creation of loud and frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds made by the use of a musical instrument, sound amplifier, or other device or combination of devices, capable of producing or reproducing sound.
6. The creation of loud and frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds from any sound system, such as radios, compact disc players, or tape players.
7. The use of a sound amplifier or other device capable of producing or reproducing amplified sound upon public streets for the purpose of commercial advertising, sales, or attracting the attention of the public to any person, group of persons, vehicle, structure, or property, except as permitted by law.
8. The frequent, repetitive or intermittently continuous sounds made by any animal, owned by or in the possession of a person, including but not limited to, barking, howling, yelping, or whining. Animal noise defined in this section is hereby declared to be a public nuisance, and is subject to abatement procedures, seizure and impoundment, as prescribed by law.
9. Frequent or repetitive sounding of false car alarm.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
PTMC 9.09.030(C)(5) makes it unlawful to create loud, frequent, repetitive, or intermittently continuous sound with a musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device if it unreasonably disturbs the peace of persons of average sensitivity, there's no fixed decibel cutoff. Enforcement is complaint-driven: police need a citizen complaint before responding, then must issue a written warning before any citation (PTMC 9.09.050). Bars and venues inside the historic commercial (C-III) district get a specific carve-out, amplified music and instruments played from inside a building there are exempt from the noise chapter between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. (PTMC 9.09.040(C)).
Violations & Fines
First offense: $66 civil infraction. Second within a year: $114. Third: $209. A fourth violation in 12 months becomes a misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail (PTMC 9.09.060).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play amplified outdoor music at my Port Townsend business?
Does police need a decibel meter to cite me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
Compare Port Townsend to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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