Spokane County, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Spokane 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, Maximum Environmental Noise Levels
- Nighttime cutback
- 10 dBA reduction, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Base daytime limit
- 55 dBA between residential (Class A) properties
- Highest allowed limit
- 70 dBA, industrial (Class C) to industrial
- Brief-spike tolerance
- 5 dBA over for up to 15 minutes/hour
- EDNA classes
- Residential=A, commercial=B, industrial=C, by zoning
Summary
Washington's Department of Ecology sets Spokane County's nighttime quiet hours under WAC 173-60-040: residential (Class A) properties get a mandatory 10 dBA cutback between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., on top of base daytime limits that run from 55 to 70 dBA depending on the zoning of the noise source and the receiving property. Brief spikes are allowed only within tight time-and-decibel tolerances.
(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. EDNA of noise source to EDNA of receiving property: Class A to Class A, 55 dBA; Class A to Class B, 57 dBA; Class A to Class C, 60 dBA; Class B to Class A, 57 dBA; Class B to Class B, 60 dBA; Class B to Class C, 65 dBA; Class C to Class A, 60 dBA; Class C to Class B, 65 dBA; Class C to Class C, 70 dBA. (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
Spokane County's ambient noise ceiling comes from the state Department of Ecology's maximum environmental noise levels, WAC Chapter 173-60, the same chapter family the county's own noise ordinance cross-references for vehicle sound. WAC 173-60-040 sets a base sound-level table keyed to the Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement (EDNA) of both the noise source and the receiving property: 55 dBA between two Class A (residential) properties, rising to 57 dBA and 60 dBA when the receiving property is Class B (commercial) or Class C (industrial), and up to 70 dBA between two Class C properties. Under WAC 173-60-030, EDNA classes track local zoning: residential zones are Class A, commercial zones Class B, and industrial zones Class C.
The nighttime curfew is the (b) adjustment: between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., every limit in the table drops by 10 dBA for any receiving property that sits in a Class A (residential) EDNA, whether the noise originates from a house next door or a commercial or industrial source across the zoning line. The regulation still tolerates brief spikes at any hour: a receiving property can be exposed to up to 5 dBA over the limit for 15 minutes per hour, 10 dBA over for 5 minutes per hour, or 15 dBA over for 1.5 minutes per hour before a violation occurs. WAC 173-60-050 separately exempts temporary construction, forest harvesting, and similar activities from the nighttime Class A reduction between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., mirroring the exemptions Spokane County itself adopted in SCC 6.12.020.
Violations & Fines
A property owner or business that exceeds the WAC 173-60-040 table, including the mandatory 10 dBA nighttime reduction for residential receivers between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., is subject to enforcement by Spokane County under its own noise ordinance, since the misdemeanor and $50-per-day civil infraction penalties in SCC 6.12.030 and 6.12.040 apply to sounds that also violate this state numeric standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do quiet hours start in Spokane County?
What is the maximum noise level allowed during the day?
Is any brief loud noise allowed at night?
Does the state noise rule replace the county's own noise ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
How Spokane County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Spokane County to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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