Sammamish, WA Noise Ordinances: Outdoor Music (2026)

Sammamish addresses outdoor music through the same Public Disturbance Noise provisions that cover amplified sound. SMC 8.15.020 (Ordinance O2002-105) lists as public nuisances "any loud and raucous noise which unreasonably interferes with the use of any business or residential property, school or place of religious worship," and "sound from audio equipment, such as, but not limited to, tape players, radios and compact disc players, whether portable or placed in a fixed location, operated at a volume so as to be audible greater than 75 feet from the source." For a backyard concert, outdoor speakers, or a party band, the operative test is whether the music can be heard more than 75 feet from where it is produced. The ordinance then provides a clear exemption: "The foregoing provisions shall not apply to regularly scheduled events at parks or stadiums, such as public address systems for baseball games or park concerts, or to community festivals or permitted parades." So City-sanctioned outdoor concerts and festivals are not subject to the 75-foot limit, while private outdoor music is. For events that run late, the construction-style time limits do not apply, but the general nuisance standard and state nighttime noise reduction (WAC 173-60-040, 10 p.m.-7 a.m.) provide additional limits on lingering noise.