The Seattle City Council Finance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments Committee discussed a draft hearing-protection ordinance on March 19 that would require some music venues to make hearing protection available to patrons.

Councilmember Dan Strauss, who sponsored the briefing after constituent office hours raised the issue, summarized the proposal: venues covered by the draft would either provide earplugs for free or offer at least one option for sale at $1 or less and would be encouraged to post notice of availability. Jasmine Marwaha of Council Central Staff presented the draft and said the policy goals are to raise awareness about noise risks, expand access to hearing protection and limit burdens on businesses.

Marwaha cited federal health data and municipal examples. She noted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures that “nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults age 20 to 69 years show some evidence of noise-induced hearing loss.” She also described two U.S. municipal models: Minneapolis requires clubs and bars that feature live music to provide free earplugs if they have been supplied to the business at no cost; San Francisco requires certain large or extended-hours venues to provide earplugs for free or at a reasonable price.

The draft presented to the committee would apply to a constrained set of premises rather than attempt to regulate by measured decibel levels. Proposed coverage in the draft includes: venues that sell alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption that contain a dance floor or primary dancing area and have maximum occupancy over 500; music venues defined in city code (Seattle Municipal Code section 11.14.376); arenas and similarly large venues with maximum occupancy over 5,000 that host live music or dancing at least 20 times per year; and special-event permit sites that host live music or dancing. The draft asks for hearing protection with a noise reduction rating (NRR) of at least 20 decibels.

Enforcement in the draft is assigned to the Department of Finance and Administrative Services’ consumer protection functions. The enforcement model includes an initial warning and 30 days to comply; after that period the proposal sets a $50 citation for each week of noncompliance, with the stated intent not to be punitive but to allow some cost recovery for enforcement. The draft sets an effective date of January 1, 2026, to give businesses time to comply.

Committee members asked a series of follow-up questions and raised concerns about scope, industry impacts and enforcement. Questions and requests included: how many venues would be covered under the proposed thresholds; whether outdoor festivals and temporary special events should be included; potential liability exposure for the city; expected cost and staff time for enforcement and outreach; connections to the music commission and local venue operators; and whether a signage requirement should be mandatory or encouraged.

Councilmembers also urged staff to examine international and domestic precedents more closely, to consult the Music Commission and venue operators, and to quantify likely enforcement costs before any vote. Councilmember Saka and others emphasized the need for a narrowly tailored approach and suggested considering a pilot or phased approach rather than a broad decibel-based standard that could capture churches, informal gatherings and other unintended sites.

Marwaha said FAS reviewed the draft for enforcement red flags and indicated it could absorb complaint-based enforcement under its consumer-protection code, but staff committed to follow up with more detailed estimates of impacted venues, outreach lists and cost/revenue assumptions. The committee discussed timelines: staff said the draft is being prepared for introduction and that discussion and possible committee action are planned for the April 16 committee meeting; members requested additional analysis ahead of any vote.

No formal motion or vote on the hearing-protection draft occurred at the March 19 meeting. The committee asked staff to report back with additional information and stakeholder feedback prior to any introduction or vote.