Kirkland applies WAC 173-60 decibel limits: 55 dBA residential, 57 dBA commercial, 60 dBA industrial at a residential property, with a 10 dBA night reduction. KMC 11.84A adds a behavior-based standard.
Kirkland does not publish its own decibel schedule. Instead, KMC 11.84A incorporates the Washington state Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement (EDNA) framework in WAC 173-60. Under EDNA, every property is classified Class A (residential), Class B (commercial), or Class C (industrial). Maximum permissible sound levels received at the receiving property depend on both source and receiver classes: residential source to residential receiver is 55 dBA; commercial source to residential receiver is 57 dBA; industrial source to residential receiver is 60 dBA. All these limits drop by 10 dBA during nighttime hours (10 PM to 7 AM weekdays and 10 PM to 9 AM weekends), giving 45, 47, and 50 dBA respectively. Short exceedances are allowed under a tiered exemption: 5 dBA over for 15 minutes, 10 dBA over for 5 minutes, or 15 dBA over for 1.5 minutes in any one-hour period. Police do not typically carry sound meters; enforcement relies on the behavior-based KMC 11.84A standard.
Documented decibel exceedances are cited under WAC 173-60 and KMC 11.84A with civil penalties escalating for commercial and industrial sources.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kirkland, WA
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Kirkland, WA
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Kirkland, WA
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