Washington adopts comprehensive rewrite of city noise ordinance, sets new permit rules and limits

The Washington City Council voted Feb. 14 to adopt a comprehensive rewrite of the city’s noise ordinance, adding detailed measurement standards, maximum decibel limits by land use and a new process for permits to exceed those limits.

The ordinance, filed as an amendment to Chapter 20, Article V (Sound and Noise Control), sets daytime and nighttime decibel caps by use—residential limits of 60 dB(A) during daytime hours and 50 dB(A) at night, higher limits for commercial/public spaces and a 75 dB(A) cap for industrial uses—and prescribes ANSI-compliant measurement protocols for enforcement.

The rewrite establishes an “outdoor amplified sound permit/permit to exceed” that event sponsors must apply for at least seven business days before an event and that generally limits permitted events to four hours. The Chief of Police or designee may adjust allowable levels or times, but permits may not normally extend beyond 11 p.m. (except on New Year’s Eve). Permit conditions can include requiring off-duty police officers to monitor compliance and limiting the number of permits in a geographic area.

Stacy Drakeford, director of Police & Fire Services, told the council that event organizers who foresee exceeding the standard limits “can apply for a permit that exceeds the permitted levels that is valid for four hours,” describing the staff effort to benchmark practices in about 14 peer cities before proposing the rewrite.

Several residents spoke during the public-comment period. Dot Moate asked the council to consider an exception or later cutoff time for Main Street events; others including Coley Hodges and Michael Delaney voiced support for the ordinance and downtown activities. Council considered both the measurement-technical provisions and community concerns before the vote.

The ordinance also spells out enforcement and documentation procedures: meter calibration requirements, a minimum of three 15-second readings within a three-minute window for standard measurements, data-recording fields (date, time, location, equipment serial number and calibration date), and civil penalties starting at $50 and escalating for repeat offenses within 30 days. Officers are permitted to issue citations based on witnessed disturbance even when a city-owned meter is not available.

Councilmember Bobby E. Roberson moved to adopt the ordinance; Mayor Pro Tem Richard Brooks seconded the motion. The council approved the measure and it became effective upon adoption.

The city clerk’s adopted ordinance replaces earlier sections and adds the full Article V language on definitions, measurement, permits, exceptions and penalties; the council referred appeals of permit denials to the City Manager and required written denial explanations when permits are refused.