Washington County, OR Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Washington County, OR, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Curfew window
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Covered devices
- radios, TVs, phonographs, loudspeakers
- Yelling/shouting also barred
- same 10 p.m.-7 a.m. hours
- First-offense fine
- up to $500
- Equipment seizure
- up to 7 days, WCC 8.24.065
- Scope
- unincorporated county only
Summary
From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., Washington County Code § 8.24.040(B) and (D) bar plainly audible radios, TVs, stereos and loudspeakers, plus yelling, shouting or singing on public streets. The rule applies only in unincorporated areas: cities like Hillsboro and Beaverton run their own nighttime noise codes.
B.Radios, Phonographs, Etc. The using, operation or permitting to be used, played or operated any radio receiving set, television set, musical instrument, phonograph, compact disc player, loudspeaker or other machine or device, for the production or reproduction of sound between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible upon a public street or within a noise sensitive unit which is not the source of sound; ... D.Yelling Shouting, Etc. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on the public streets, between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Washington County's noise chapter enumerates specific nighttime violations rather than setting a single decibel limit. ' The code defines 'noise sensitive unit' broadly: any home, apartment, trailer, church, day care, hospital, school or overnight-accommodation building. window. 030 lists the factors a hearings officer weighs when a borderline case is disputed, including volume, whether the noise is recurrent or constant, and the density of the surrounding area. 065 to abate a repeat violation. 24, this curfew reaches only unincorporated Washington County; inside Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and the county's other cities, the applicable nighttime noise limits come from each city's own code, not this one.
Violations & Fines
Playing a radio, TV, stereo or loudspeaker loudly enough to be plainly audible on a public street or in a neighboring home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or yelling and singing on public streets in that window, violates § 8.24.040(B)/(D). Section 8.24.080 sets fines up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for a repeat within two years, with the offending equipment subject to seven-day seizure under § 8.24.065.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a violation of Washington County's nighttime noise rule?
Can the county seize a stereo used to violate the noise curfew?
Does the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. curfew apply in Hillsboro?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
How Washington County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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