Washington County, UT Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 10-13-23.M
- Quiet time
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., 55 dB limit
- Daytime limit
- 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 75 dB limit
- Event ban
- Gatherings over 40 people prohibited
- Noise fine
- $2,000 per 20-minute hybrid violation
- Data retention
- Monitoring records kept 90 days
Summary
Washington County bans events, parties, and excessive noise at any short-term rental, defining quiet time as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. with a 55 dB property-line limit, and daytime as 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a 75 dB limit, under section 10-13-23.M.
M. Events; Parties; Noise: A residential dwelling with a Short Term Rental License, and its lot or parcel, shall not be used by the STR renters, guests or invitees for events, parties, or excessive noise. ... For STR use, excessive noise is defined as follows: 1. Quiet Time. Quiet time is defined as after 10:00 p.m. to before 7:00 a.m. Any noise emanating beyond the property line during quiet time for a continuous period of 10 minutes or more is prohibited if the average decibel level at or beyond the property line is 55 dB or more. 2. Daytime. Daytime is defined as 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Any noise emanating beyond the property line during daytime for a continuous period of 10 minutes or more is prohibited if the average decibel level at or beyond the property line is 75 dB or more.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
M states outright that a Short Term Rental shall not be used by the STR renters, guests or invitees for events, parties, or excessive noise, explaining that the section intends to strictly limit the use to short term lodging. For STR purposes, a prohibited event or party is any gathering that exceeds 40 people or the dwelling's occupancy limit, whichever is less, any disruptive gathering, or any open invitation gathering, and the code lists disqualifying indicia including food trucks, catering trucks, live music, a disc jockey, portable PA systems, an outdoor movie screen, fireworks, and rental party equipment such as tents or inflatables.
, during which the same 10-minute noise is prohibited above 75 dB, with an exception for landscape maintenance equipment used reasonably during the day. Section O separately requires all sound systems and exterior speakers to be permanently installed with volume limiters and to shut off automatically during quiet time. The owner or property manager must monitor the STR with noise, motion, camera, or guest-screening apps such as Party Squasher or Noise Aware, retain that data for 90 days, and hand it over to the county within five business days of a request, or the failure itself is a violation.
Violations & Fines
Noise above the decibel threshold for 20 continuous minutes or more is a $2,000 hybrid violation under section 10-13-23.R.2.c for each occurrence, and an unpaid or repeated hybrid violation becomes an enforceable R.3 violation feeding the three-strikes revocation standard; hosting a prohibited event or party is a straight violation that can draw a civil penalty, a class B misdemeanor citation, or license revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are parties allowed at a Washington County short-term rental?
What are the quiet hours for a Washington County short-term rental?
Is there a daytime noise limit too?
What is the fine for a noise violation at a short-term rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah short-term rentals overview
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