Shoreline, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Shoreline, WA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Section
- SMC § 9.05.070(D)
- Flagged hours
- 10pm-7am weekdays, 10pm-9am weekends
- Fine
- $100.00 civil infraction per day
- Covers
- Yelling, shouting, whistling, singing
- Appeal
- King County District Court, West Division
Summary
In the City of Shoreline, yelling, shouting, whistling and singing that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's peace is a public nuisance under Shoreline Municipal Code § 9.05.070(D), and the code specifically flags 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends as the hours when it is most likely to violate the rule.
§ 9.05.070. Public nuisance noise. ... D. Yelling, shouting, whistling, and singing, which unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort and repose of property owners or possessors, particularly during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. weekends, or at any time and place so as to unreasonably disturb or interfere with peace, comfort and repose of owners or possessors of real property.
Full Breakdown
Shoreline's noise ordinance does not set a single citywide curfew covering every sound; instead § 9.05.070(D) singles out human vocal noise as an enumerated public nuisance: yelling, shouting, whistling, and singing that unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort and repose of property owners or possessors is unlawful, particularly during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. weekends, 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.
The provision treats the late-night and early-morning window as the period when vocal noise is presumptively most disruptive, while still allowing a citation at any hour if the disturbance is unreasonable. Related subsections of the same section set parallel nighttime cutoffs for other noise sources: construction noise outside 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. weekends is a nuisance under § 9.05.070(I), and home maintenance sounds such as lawnmowers are restricted to the same daytime windows under § 9.05.070(J), giving the ordinance a consistent nighttime quiet period across noise types.
Enforcement runs through § 9.05.090: the code enforcement officer or the Shoreline Police Department can issue a $100.00 civil infraction, with each day of a continuing disturbance counted as a separate violation, and a person cited can appeal to the King County District Court, West Division, in Shoreline.
Violations & Fines
A citation for late-night yelling, shouting or singing under § 9.05.070(D) is a civil infraction under § 9.05.090, carrying a $100.00 fine per violation and a separate fine for each day the disturbance continues. Shoreline's code enforcement officer or the Shoreline Police Department issues the infraction, and the recipient can appeal to the King County District Court, West Division, in Shoreline, or seek a variance under § 9.05.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shoreline have a set quiet-hours curfew?
Can I be cited for loud talking during the day in Shoreline?
What is the penalty for violating Shoreline's nighttime noise rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shoreline
How Shoreline compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Shoreline to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle quiet hours.