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Commissioners discuss limiting use of unmuffled engine brakes in urban growth areas
Summary
Okanogan County commissioners discussed adding time and area limits, and an affirmative‑defense clause, to a proposed prohibition on unmuffled engine/exhaust brakes in urban growth areas and near residences.
The Okanogan County Board of Commissioners discussed proposed language to restrict the use of unmuffled engine (compression) brakes in urban growth areas and other defined zones, with commissioners and staff debating hours, emergency exemptions and affirmative‑defense wording.
Staff suggested adding specific hours — for example, restricting use between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. within urban growth areas — and recommended tying the prohibition to unmuffled devices rather than broader noise definitions. Commissioners and staff noted the need for an emergency exception; one staff citation offered example language that would allow use when necessary “to protect persons and or property” as an affirmative defense to violations.
Commissioners asked staff to refine area maps where the prohibition would apply, and to clarify the interplay with state law (speakers noted that unmuffled devices are already illegal under state law in many cases). The item was discussed in concept and returned to staff for redrafting; no final ordinance vote occurred at this meeting.
