Olympia, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Olympia, 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 section
- OMC § 9.16.020(D)(3)
- Named night hours
- Between eleven p.m. and seven a.m.
- Covered sounds
- Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing
- Where it applies
- On or near the public streets
- Daytime coverage
- Any time if it unreasonably disturbs property owners' peace
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor: fine up to one thousand dollars, ninety days, or both
Summary
In the City of Olympia, Washington, OMC § 9.16.020(D)(3) names the hours between eleven p.m. and seven a.m. when yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near public streets is a public noise disturbance. The same conduct is a violation at any time if it unreasonably disturbs the peace, comfort and repose of owners or possessors of real property.
A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if, without lawful authority, the person knowingly: ... D. Causes a public noise disturbance or is in possession and control of property on which a public noise disturbance occurs. The following sounds are determined to be public noise disturbances: ... 3. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near the public streets, particularly between the hours of eleven p.m. and seven a.m. or at any time and place so as to unreasonably disturb or interfere with the peace, comfort and repose of owners or possessors of real property.
Full Breakdown
The Olympia Municipal Code does not print a blanket quiet-hours curfew for all sound. The one clock-based noise rule in the city's criminal code sits in OMC 9.16.020, the disorderly conduct section. Subsection D makes it disorderly conduct to knowingly cause a public noise disturbance, or to be in possession and control of property on which one occurs, and lists the sounds that qualify. Subsection D.3 lists yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near the public streets, particularly between the hours of eleven p.m. and seven a.m.
The word "particularly" decides how the rule works in the City of Olympia. The night window is the period of special attention, but the sentence goes on to reach any time and any place where the conduct unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort and repose of owners or possessors of real property. A shout at mid-afternoon can qualify, and a quiet exchange at midnight does not. The test is unreasonable disturbance, with the night hours as the named high-risk window.
Other subsections of D carry their own wording rather than a clock. Subsection D.2 covers frequent, repetitive or continuous sounds from the starting, operation, repair, rebuilding or testing of any motor vehicle, motorcycle, off-highway vehicle or internal combustion engine within a residential district, so as to unreasonably disturb the peace, comfort and repose of property owners or possessors. Subsection D.4 covers continuous sounds from a building, structure, apartment or condominium. Section 9.16.020 closes by saying its enumeration does not exclude other acts and noises which offend the public peace.
Property-based noise limits live in a different title. OMC 18.40.080(B) incorporates WAC 173-60 for noise measured at the property line of impacted uses, with Table N listing permitted sound levels by receiving class and applicable hours. Because the table's columns do not read cleanly in the code export, this page quotes only the criminal code's printed hours.
Violations & Fines
Under OMC 9.64.010(A), any violation of a Title 9 chapter is a misdemeanor unless designated a gross misdemeanor: a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars, imprisonment not to exceed ninety days, or both. Under 9.64.010(B) a designated gross misdemeanor carries a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars, imprisonment not to exceed three hundred sixty-four days, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the quiet hours in Olympia?
Is yelling during the day also covered?
Does the rule only apply on public streets?
What is the penalty for violating Olympia's nighttime noise rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olympia
How Olympia compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Olympia to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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