Yakima County, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Yakima County, WA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- WAC 173-60-040
- Nighttime hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Nighttime reduction
- 10 dBA off daytime limit
- Daytime residential-to-residential cap
- 55 dBA
- Short-spike allowance
- 5-15 dBA for 1.5-15 minutes/hour
Summary
Washington's Department of Ecology noise regulation, WAC 173-60-040, sets Yakima County's quiet hours: between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., every decibel limit that otherwise applies to a residential (Class A) property drops by 10 dBA, on top of the daytime limits that already range from 55 to 70 dBA depending on zoning.
(1) No person shall cause or permit noise to intrude into the property of another person which noise exceeds the maximum permissible noise levels set forth below in this section. (2)(a) The noise limitations established are as set forth in the following table after any applicable adjustments provided for herein are applied. ... (b) Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the noise limitations of the foregoing table shall be reduced by 10 dBA for receiving property within Class A EDNAs. (c) At any hour of the day or night the applicable noise limitations in (a) and (b) above may be exceeded for any receiving property by no more than: (i) 5 dBA for a total of 15 minutes in any one-hour period; or (ii) 10 dBA for a total of 5 minutes in any one-hour period; or (iii) 15 dBA for a total of 1.5 minutes in any one-hour period.
Full Breakdown
Yakima County has not adopted its own decibel table, so the state's maximum environmental noise levels in WAC 173-60-040 govern nighttime noise complaints in the unincorporated county. The rule sets base limits by the Environmental Designation for Noise Assessment (EDNA) of both the noise source and the receiving property: a Class A source (residential) reaching a Class A receiving property is capped at 55 dBA, a Class B source at 57 dBA, and a Class C (commercial/industrial) source at 60 dBA; limits rise for Class B and Class C receiving properties, topping out at 70 dBA between two Class C properties.
, every one of those table limits is reduced by 10 dBA for any receiving property located in a Class A (residential) EDNA, effectively dropping the overnight cap for a residential neighbor to 45-50 dBA depending on the source's zoning. 5 minutes, regardless of time of day. , which means those sources lose their exemption and fall under the WAC decibel caps, including the nighttime 10 dBA reduction, outside that daytime window.
Violations & Fines
A landowner or occupant who lets noise cross onto a neighbor's property above the applicable WAC 173-60-040 limit, or above the reduced overnight limit for a residential receiving property, is violating the state noise regulation; in unincorporated Yakima County this is enforced alongside YCC Chapter 6.28, where the county sheriff issues a civil infraction with a fine up to $500 for violations of the county's own noise chapter provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Yakima County's quiet hours?
What is the maximum noise level allowed near a home at night?
Are brief loud noises allowed even during quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
How Yakima County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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