Benton County, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Benton 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 sections
- BCC 6A.15.050(p), (q), 6A.15.040, 6A.15.070
- Protected hours for voices/yard equipment
- 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Effective quiet hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- First-offense penalty
- Civil penalty up to $500 plus restitution
- Enforcing agency
- Benton County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Benton County has no numeric curfew list; instead its noise exemptions do the work. Unamplified voices and lawn or garden equipment are protected only from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. under BCC 6A.15.050, so noise from those sources between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. can be cited as a public nuisance.
6A.15.050 EXEMPTIONS. The following sounds are exempt from the provisions of this ordinance and are not public nuisance noises: ... (p) sounds created by unamplified human voices from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; (q) sounds created by lawn and garden equipment from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; (r) sounds created from farm animals. 6A.15.040 PUBLIC NUISANCE NOISE--UNLAWFUL. It is unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued or to allow to originate from his or her personal or real property any public nuisance noise which: (a) is plainly audible within any dwelling unit which is not the source of the sound or is generated within two hundred (200) feet of any dwelling; and, (b) either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the health, comfort, repose, peace or safety of others.
Full Breakdown
Rather than setting an explicit curfew clause, Benton County's public nuisance noise ordinance builds quiet hours into its exemption list. schedule. 040 lose their exemption and can be enforced against: unlawful noise is any sound plainly audible within a dwelling unit that isn't the source, or generated within 200 feet of any dwelling, that annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers someone's health, comfort, repose, peace or safety. 010 not to interfere with farming, ranching or agricultural activity. 060, issuing a civil infraction notice on observation or witness report.
070 sets the penalty at a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation plus restitution for damages, escalating to a misdemeanor on a second or subsequent violation.
Violations & Fines
Unamplified voices or lawn and garden equipment noise that is plainly audible in a neighbor's dwelling, or within 200 feet of any dwelling, and that disturbs someone after 10:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m. loses its BCC 6A.15.050(p)/(q) exemption and violates BCC 6A.15.040; first offense draws a civil penalty up to $500, repeat violations are a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Benton County have set quiet hours?
Can I mow my lawn late at night in unincorporated Benton County?
What's the penalty for violating Benton County's nighttime noise rule?
Are farm sounds exempt from Benton County's quiet hours at any time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
How Benton County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Benton County to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.