Federal Way, WA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

050, Maximum environmental noise levels, does not write its own decibel table; instead it adopts the state standard by reference. 107 RCW, pointing to Chapter 173-60 WAC for the specific numeric limits, which set allowable sound levels by environmental designation for noise abatement (residential, commercial, and industrial classifications) and by time of day. Subsection (2) separately adopts the watercraft noise performance standards established under the same Noise Control Act, pointing to Chapter 173-70 WAC, which matters given Federal Way's Puget Sound shoreline and its lake frontage on Steel Lake and North Lake.

050 standards, giving code enforcement a financial tool beyond the ordinary civil infraction process for projects or activities likely to generate ongoing environmental noise. 060, which requires nonconformances to be brought into immediate compliance with applicable zoning regulations. Because the numeric limits themselves live in the adopted state regulations rather than in the Federal Way Revised Code, a resident measuring a specific decibel exceedance needs to consult WAC 173-60 for the applicable environmental designation and time-of-day limit alongside this adopting section.