Spokane Noise Ordinance: Decibel Limits, Hours, and Penalties

The Spokane noise ordinance, set out in Chapter 10.70 of the Spokane Municipal Code, controls noise two ways: it caps sound at the property line using decibel limits tied to zoning, and it prohibits certain “public disturbance” noises regardless of how loud they measure. Enforcement almost always begins with a warning, and penalties climb from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor if you rack up three violations in a year.¹

Sounds That Are Always Prohibited

Some sounds violate the ordinance no matter what a decibel meter says. Under SMC 10.70.090, noise from private property counts as a public disturbance when it is “plainly audible” across a property line or fifty feet from the source, whichever is shorter. That standard applies every hour of the day.²

The categories that trigger the rule when the sound is frequent, repetitive, or continuous:

Vehicle horns, sirens, or alarms sounded outside a genuine warning or legal requirement.
Outdoor emergency warning devices activated when no emergency exists (routine testing and maintenance are allowed).
Starting, operating, repairing, rebuilding, or testing motor vehicles, motorcycles, off-highway vehicles, or combustion engines.
Speakers, televisions, musical instruments, band rehearsals, or social gatherings on the property.
Car stereos, radios, or portable audio players, whether the vehicle is moving or parked.
Fireworks or blasting devices used without a permit.

A single honk or a few minutes of loud music generally doesn’t qualify. The violation is in the frequency or duration.²

Noise on Sidewalks, Parks, and Public Rights-of-Way

Different thresholds apply to noise made on public property. From 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM, any sound from a person or performer is prohibited if it is plainly audible across a property boundary. From 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, the sound has to be plainly audible one hundred feet or more from the source before it violates the ordinance.²

Content doesn’t matter. Enforcement is based on volume and audibility, not on what is being said or played.

Decibel Limits by Zone

Alongside the plainly audible rule, SMC 10.70.070 sets numeric caps that track the state standards in WAC 173-60. Every parcel is assigned an Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement (EDNA): Class A for residential zones, Class B for commercial and mixed-use zones, and Class C for industrial zones. The limit that applies depends on both where the noise comes from and where it is received.³

Daytime caps at the receiving property line:

Residential source into a residential property: 55 dBA
Commercial source into a residential property: 57 dBA
Industrial source into a residential property: 60 dBA
Commercial source into commercial: 60 dBA; into industrial: 65 dBA
Industrial source into commercial: 65 dBA; into industrial: 70 dBA

Between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM, every limit drops by ten dBA when the receiving property sits in a residential zone. A business generating 57 dBA at a neighboring home during the day has to be at or below 47 dBA after 10:00 PM. The nighttime reduction does not apply when the receiver is commercial or industrial.⁴

Short Bursts Are Allowed

Brief spikes above the limit are permitted at any hour:

Up to 5 dBA over the limit for no more than fifteen minutes in any hour.
Up to 10 dBA over for no more than five minutes.
Up to 15 dBA over for no more than one and a half minutes.

A slammed car door, a short power tool run, or a momentary equipment surge fits inside these windows.⁴

Rules for Businesses and Entertainment Venues

Commercial properties and outdoor electrical equipment fall under the same decibel caps, with the city’s Code Enforcement Department handling complaints rather than police.⁵

Entertainment venues face an additional layer under SMC 10.70.100. Bars, music venues, and similar businesses must hold an entertainment permit under Chapter 10.23A. Indoor venues cannot let sound be plainly audible fifty feet from the building, and their doors must stay closed during operating hours except when people are entering or leaving. Outdoor entertainment facilities get a hundred-foot buffer. Police handle enforcement for this category.

When Louder Noise Is Allowed

If you have a legitimate reason to exceed the limits, you can apply to the Director of Public Works and Utilities for a variance under SMC 10.70.120. The application has to be filed at least seven days before the variance period begins, and it must describe the noise, its duration, the public benefit it serves (such as avoiding extreme heat or reducing traffic disruption), and the steps you will take to reduce impact. Approved variances have to be posted at the location or carried on the applicant while in effect. A denial can be appealed to the hearing examiner within ten days.⁶

Variances are not available for concerts, special events, or private parties like weddings. Those go through the special event permit process under Chapter 10.39. A special event permit exempts only noise that is inherent to the permitted activity, at the permitted location, during the approved hours, and within the sound levels the permit specifies.⁷

SMC 10.70.040 also incorporates the state exemptions in WAC 173-60-050, which cover things like emergency vehicle sirens and safety warning devices.⁸

How to Report Noise

Most residential noise complaints go to Crime Check at 509-456-2233, the regional non-emergency line staffed twenty-four hours. Use it for party noise, loud music, and vehicle-related disturbances.⁹

Barking dogs and other animal noise go to SCRAPS (Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service) at 509-477-2532. Noise from commercial or industrial machinery goes through the city’s online code enforcement form.⁹

Before you call, note the exact address of the source, when the noise started and stopped, what it sounds like, and if a vehicle is involved, the license plate. Concrete details help dispatchers prioritize and give the responding officer something specific to check.

Penalties

Under SMC 10.70.140, an officer cannot issue a citation until they have told you the noise violates the ordinance, given you a chance to stop, and confirmed that you refused or failed to comply. Most people who cooperate with the warning never see a ticket.¹

If you don’t comply:

First violation: civil infraction. Under RCW 7.80.120, the maximum penalty for a class 1 civil infraction is $250, exclusive of statutory assessments.¹⁰
Second violation within one year: also a civil infraction.
Third violation within one year: misdemeanor, which carries the possibility of jail time and a criminal record.¹

A civil infraction is functionally a fine, like a traffic ticket. A misdemeanor is a criminal charge. The third strike within twelve months moves you into a different legal category.

There is also a civil route that doesn’t require the city to act at all. SMC 10.70.150 declares that violations of the decibel limits, the unlawful sounds section, or the public disturbance rules also constitute a nuisance, meaning an affected neighbor can sue for abatement under RCW Chapter 7.48.¹¹

Contesting a Citation

If you’re cited, you have the right to a hearing. Because the ordinance requires a prior warning and refusal, disputes often center on whether you were actually notified, whether you had a reasonable chance to comply, and whether the noise continued afterward.

When a citation rests on a measured decibel reading rather than the plainly audible standard, the meter’s calibration is fair game. Meters should be calibrated before and after each measurement session, readings should fall within roughly half a decibel of the reference tone, and the instrument itself should undergo manufacturer recalibration each year. Absence of a current calibration record is a legitimate basis to challenge the reading.

SMC 10.70.130 recognizes an affirmative defense as well, though the specific grounds are not laid out in the publicly available text of the code. If you think a defense applies, talk with a local attorney before your hearing date.

What the Ordinance Does Not Cover

Two loud things in Spokane are outside the city’s reach. Federal law preempts local regulation of aircraft noise; the city’s authority near the airport is limited to land use planning and zoning, and even the airport operator has to follow federal review procedures under the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 before imposing access restrictions on aircraft.¹²

Train horns are federally regulated too. Under 49 CFR Part 222, locomotive engineers must sound the horn for fifteen to twenty seconds before each public road crossing, in a pattern of two long, one short, one long, repeated until the crossing is occupied. Federal standards set the horn volume between 96 and 110 decibels. Relief has to come through a federally approved quiet zone rather than a local complaint.¹³

1
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.140 – Violation Penalty
2
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.090 – Public Disturbance Noise
3
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.060 – Identification of Environments
4
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.070 – Maximum Permissible Environmental Sound Levels
5
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.080 – Commercial Noise
6
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.120 – Noise Variance
7
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.110 – Special Events Permits
8
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.040 – Exemptions
9
City of Spokane. Common Code Questions – Section: Noise
10
Washington State Legislature. RCW 7.80.120 – Monetary Penalties
11
City of Spokane. Spokane Municipal Code 10.70.150 – Violation Deemed a Nuisance
12
Federal Aviation Administration. Airport Noise and Access Restrictions
13
Federal Railroad Administration. Train Horns and Quiet Zones