Walla Walla County, WA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office
- Penalty
- Up to $500 per infraction, civil
- Covers
- Instruments, amplifiers, band sessions, gatherings
- Applies
- Unincorporated county only, not city limits
- Standard
- Frequent, repetitive, loud and raucous sound
Summary
In unincorporated Walla Walla County, County Code § 9.20.050(E) makes it unlawful to run a musical instrument, whistle or sound amplifier so loudly that raucous sound from a band session or social gathering carries repeatedly from a residential property. The same section holds whoever possesses the property liable for letting the noise originate there, and the Sheriff enforces it as a public disturbance noise infraction.
It is unlawful for any person to cause, or for any person in possession of property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public disturbance noise. The following sounds are determined to be public disturbance noises: ... E.The creation by use of a musical instrument, whistle, sound amplifier or other device capable of producing or reproducing sound, of loud and raucous sounds which emanate frequently, repetitively or continuously from any building, structure or property located within a residential district, such as sounds originating from a band session or social gathering;
Full Breakdown
Walla Walla County Code Chapter 9.20, enacted by Ordinance 216 in 1993, addresses loud house parties through its ban on 'public disturbance noises' rather than a freestanding party ordinance. Section 9.20.050 opens by making it unlawful for 'any person to cause, or for any person in possession of property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public disturbance noise,' language that reaches the host or tenant who lets a gathering run loud, not only the guest working the stereo. Subsection E singles out a 'musical instrument, whistle, sound amplifier or other device capable of producing or reproducing sound' that creates 'loud and raucous sounds which emanate frequently, repetitively or continuously from any building, structure or property located within a residential district,' naming 'sounds originating from a band session or social gathering' as the example.
There is no party permit and no stand-alone decibel test in this subsection; deputies apply the 'frequent, repetitive or continuous' and 'loud and raucous' standard alongside the district sound-level table in § 9.20.030. The Sheriff enforces under § 9.20.090, and § 9.20.100 makes any violation of Chapter 9.20 an infraction carrying a monetary penalty up to five hundred dollars per separate infraction, cumulative to any other remedy under § 9.20.110. This rule governs only unincorporated county land such as Burbank, Touchet and Dixie; the cities of Walla Walla, College Place, Waitsburg and Prescott enforce their own municipal noise codes for parties inside city limits.
Violations & Fines
A public disturbance noise finding under § 9.20.050(E) is a civil infraction, punishable by a fine up to $500 per separate infraction under § 9.20.100. Deputies who respond to a loud gathering can cite the property possessor directly, since § 9.20.050 reaches whoever 'allows' the noise to originate, and each night of continued disturbance can be charged as its own infraction under the cumulative-remedies clause in § 9.20.110.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the county cite the homeowner even if a guest brought the speakers?
Is there a decibel limit for a house party in unincorporated Walla Walla County?
What is the fine for a loud party citation?
Does this rule apply inside the City of Walla Walla?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walla Walla County
Compare Walla Walla County to another location·View the Washington public conduct overview
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