Walla Walla County, WA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Walla Walla 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
- Weekday quiet hours
- 10pm-5am, minus 10 dB(A)
- Weekend quiet hours
- 10pm-9am, minus 10 dB(A)
- Applies when
- Receiving property is residential district
- Tonal/impulsive sound
- Additional 5 dB(A) reduction
- Penalty
- Up to $500 civil infraction
- Enforcement
- Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Walla Walla County Code § 9.20.040(A) cuts the general sound-level limits by ten dB(A) between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends, whenever the receiving property sits in a residential district, functioning as the county's nighttime quiet-hours rule enforced by the Sheriff.
The maximum permissible sound levels established by this chapter shall be reduced or increased by the sum of the following: A.Between the hours of ten p.m. and five a.m. during weekdays, and between the hours of ten p.m. and nine a.m. on weekends, the levels established by Section 9.20.030 of this chapter are reduced by ten dB (A) where the receiving property lies within a residential district of the county.
Full Breakdown
Rather than a stand-alone curfew, Walla Walla County builds its quiet hours into the numeric noise table. Section 9.20.030 sets a baseline of 57 dB(A) between two Residential districts; § 9.20.040 then modifies that baseline. Subsection A provides: 'Between the hours of ten p.m. and five a.m. during weekdays, and between the hours of ten p.m. and nine a.m. on weekends, the levels established by Section 9.20.030 of this chapter are reduced by ten dB (A) where the receiving property lies within a residential district of the county.' That means the daytime 57 dB(A) residential-to-residential ceiling is reduced by ten dB(A) overnight on weekdays, and the weekend quiet window runs longer, from 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday through 9 a.m. the next morning. Subsection B separately reduces every limit by five dB(A) for tonal or impulsive sound not measured with an impulse meter, while Subsection D allows short, louder bursts, up to fifteen dB(A) over the limit for ninety seconds in an hour. These modifications apply chapter-wide, stacking on top of the specific public disturbance noise list in § 9.20.050, so a sound that is legal at 8 p.m. can become a citable infraction at 10:01 p.m. if it exceeds the reduced nighttime ceiling.
The Sheriff's Office enforces under § 9.20.090, and § 9.20.100 sets the penalty at up to $500 per infraction, applicable throughout unincorporated Walla Walla County.
Violations & Fines
Sound that exceeds the reduced nighttime ceiling in § 9.20.040(A), for instance sound reaching a residential property between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on a weekday that exceeds the § 9.20.030 table value less ten dB(A), is a civil infraction under § 9.20.100, punishable by a monetary penalty up to $500 per separate infraction. Deputies verify exceedance with a sound level meter under the ANSI standard in § 9.20.080 before citing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do quiet hours start in unincorporated Walla Walla County?
How much quieter must sound be at night?
Does a single loud noise for a minute violate quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walla Walla County
How Walla Walla County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Walla Walla County to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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