Lacey, WA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

LMC 14.38.010, in Chapter 14.38 Outside Construction Activities, sets the City of Lacey's construction hours. It makes it unlawful to conduct or engage in outside construction activities regulated by Title 14 between nine p.m. and seven a.m. in any area of the city located in a residential zone or directly abutting a residential zone. That reach matters: a commercial or industrial parcel that shares a boundary with a residential zone is covered too, not just the residential lots themselves.

The exception is narrow. The section does not prohibit emergency repair of utilities or streets, or construction of utilities or streets where operations are necessary during those hours to promote the safety of the traveling public. A private contractor building a deck, pouring a driveway, or framing a house has no such exception. The section prints one nine p.m. to seven a.m. window and no separate weekend or holiday schedule.

Enforcement runs through Chapter 14.40 LMC. LMC 14.40.020(L) lists 14.38 LMC (Noise Control) and LMC Title 14 (Buildings and Construction Codes) among the regulations subject to civil enforcement. The applicable department director can seek voluntary correction first, or go straight to a Notice of Civil Violation for a repeat violation, an emergency, or when the person knew or should have known the action violated city regulation. A repeat violation means the same regulation violated by the same person where voluntary compliance was sought, or a notice issued, within two years.

The notice sets an appeal hearing before the hearings examiner at least ten days out. The hearing is canceled and no penalty assessed if the director approves the corrective action at least forty-eight hours before it. Penalties are payable to the Department of Community and Economic Development within ten calendar days of the examiner's decision, and unpaid amounts go to a collection agency.