Puyallup, WA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Puyallup, 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
- Boundary standard (post-2010)
- Not audible beyond business property line
- Pre-2010 standard
- WAC 173-60-040 noise levels
- Max civil penalty
- $250.00 under PMC § 6.16.100
- Enforcement trigger
- Complaint from affected property owner/renter/lessee
- Governing section
- PMC § 6.16.050(2)(d)
Summary
Puyallup bars business sound amplifiers, loudspeakers, and pagers from being audible beyond the property line. Under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(d), any such device used to attract customers or reach employees on business property became fully restricted to its own property boundary as of January 1, 2010.
(d) The use of a sound amplifier or other device capable of producing or reproducing amplified sounds from the property of a business operation which is intended to either attract the attention of the potential customers to the business or to communicate with employees who are at extended portions of the business property. Prior to January 1, 2010, any such sound amplifier, loudspeaker or pager shall not violate the levels set forth in WAC 173-60-040, except the provisions of WAC 173-60-040(2)(c) shall not apply to sounds created by sound amplifiers or other device capable of producing or reproducing amplified sounds originating from Class A EDNA, Class B EDNA or Class C EDNA, when such sounds are received by residential zones. As of January 1, 2010, no such sound amplifier, loudspeaker or pager shall be audible to the human ear beyond any perimeter of the subject business property;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
050(2)(d) targets sound amplifiers, loudspeakers, or similar reproducing devices used by a business, whether to attract customers or to communicate with employees working in outdoor portions of the business property. Before January 1, 2010, this equipment was measured against the noise levels in WAC 173-60-040, with a carve-out so amplified sound from Class A, B, or C environmental designations for noise abatement (EDNAs) wasn't automatically exempted when it reached a residential zone. As of January 1, 2010, the standard tightened: no business sound amplifier, loudspeaker, or pager may be audible to the human ear beyond any perimeter of the business property where it originates, a flat boundary-based test rather than a decibel reading.
050(2), the chapter's list of 'public disturbance noise' sources, meaning a business running an audible outdoor amplifier past its property line is treated the same as any other public disturbance noise violation. 080, which requires a complaint from an identified property owner, renter, or lessee before a civil infraction issues for most sources under this chapter, with each 24-hour period of ongoing violation counted separately. 030 explain the underlying EDNA zone classifications: Class A covers RS, RM, and PDR residential zones, Class B covers C, OP, and PDC commercial/office zones, and Class C covers M manufacturing zones, all drawn from PMC Title 20, the Puyallup zoning code.
Violations & Fines
A business sound amplifier, loudspeaker, or pager audible past the property line is a public disturbance noise violation under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(d), punishable as a civil infraction with a maximum penalty of $250.00 under PMC § 6.16.100. Each day of continued violation counts as a separate offense, and enforcement generally requires a complaint from an affected property owner, renter, or lessee under PMC § 6.16.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Puyallup business play music or announcements outside to attract customers?
What noise standard applied before 2010?
How is a violation reported and punished?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle amplified music & outdoor sound.