How to Fight Noise

Noise Free America – A Guide to Reducing Community Noise Pollution.

King Co. Sheriff’s Dept. now handles all noise complaints. To report any noise coming from Pacific Raceways call their non-emergency number: 206-296-3311 You may have to explain that the noise is not allowed by their Conditional Use Permit.

Conditional Use Permit Noise limits:

• No noise on Mondays, Tuesdays and Quiet Sundays*
• No noise before and after Racing Hours:
  • 9 am to 5:30 pm Wednesdays thru Sundays between Sept 1 and April 30
  • 9 am to 10 pm Wednesdays between May 1 and Oct 30
  • 9 am to 5:30 pm Thursdays and Sundays between May 1 and Oct 30
  • 9 am to 11 pm Fridays and Saturdays between May 1 and Oct 30

* Gravel mining & garage construction noise of less than 57 dBA is only allowed on Mondays thru Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm.

King Co. Code related to NOISE

12.86.010  Policy – enforcement authority.  It is the policy of King County to minimize the exposure of citizens to the physiological and psychological dangers of excessive noise and to protect, promote and preserve the public health, safety and welfare.  It is the express intent of the county council to control the level of noise in a manner that promotes: commerce; the use, value and enjoyment of property; sleep and repose; and the quality of the environment.  The sheriff serves an important function in maintaining public health, safety and welfare by responding to resident complaints, typically in the context of neighborhood noise disturbances.  The director also plays an important role in noise control through oversight of permitted activities that generate noise, such as construction work.  The sheriff and the director each have authority to enforce this chapter pursuant to its provisions.  (Ord. 18000 § 4, 2015:  Ord. 3139 § 101, 1977).

12.86.110  Envrionmental sound levels – maximum permissible sound levels.

A. For purposes of this subsection, sound levels shall be measured by a Type 1 or Type 2 sound level meter.  Sound level measurements shall be based on the Leq during the measurement interval, using a minimum measurement interval of one minute for a constant sound source or a thirty-minute measurement for a noncontinuous sound source.  For sound sources located within unincorporated King County, the maximum permissible sound levels are as follows:

Receiving Property District

Sound Source District	Rural	Residential	Commercial	Industrial
Rural	49 dB(A)	52 dB(A)	55 dB(A)	57 dB(A)
Residential	52 dB(A)	55 dB(A)	57 dB(A)	60 dB(A)
Commercial	55 dB(A)	57 dB(A)	60 dB(A)	65 dB(A)
Industrial	57 dB(A)	60 dB(A)	65 dB(A)	70 dB(A)

B. During a measurement interval, Lmax may exceed the sound level limits of this section by no more than 15 db(A).  For the purposes of this subsection, “Lmax” means the maximum sound over a measurement interval determined by using a sound level meter set to “fast” response time.

12.86.120  Environmental sound levels – modifications to maximum permissible sound levels.  The maximum permissible sound levels established by this chapter shall be reduced or increased by the sum of the following:

A. Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. during weekdays, and between 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends, the levels established by K.C.C. 12.86.050 are reduced by 10 dB(A) where the receiving property lies within a rural or residential district of King County.  The following sounds are exempt from this subsection:

1. Sounds created by existing stationary equipment used in the conveyance of water by a utility; and
2. Sounds created by electrical substations;

B. For any source of sound that has a pure tone component, the levels established by this chapter shall be reduced by 5 dB(A), but this reduction shall not be imposed on any electrical substation. For the purposes of this subsection, [“pure tone component” means sound having the following qualities: a one-third octave band sound pressure level in the band with the tone that exceeds the arithmetic average of the sound pressure levels of the two contiguous one-third octave bands by 5 decibels for center frequencies of 500 Hz and above, by 8 decibels for center frequencies between 160 and 400 Hz, and by 15 decibels for center frequencies less than or equal to 125 Hz]*; and

C. For any source of sound that is impulsive and not measured with an impulse sound level meter, the levels established by this chapter are reduced by 5 dB(A).  (Ord. 18000 § 51, 2015:  Ord. 14114 § 7, 2001: Ord. 3139 § 303, 1977.  Formerly K.C.C. 12.88.030).

12.86.250  Motor vehicles – exemptions.  Sounds created by motor vehicles are exempt from the maximum permissible sound levels of K.C.C. 12.86.110 and K.C.C. 12.86.120, except that sounds created by any motor vehicle operated off public highways shall be subject to the sound levels of K.C.C. 12.86.110 and K.C.C. 12.86.120, when such sounds are received in rural or residential districts of King County.  (Ord. 18000 § 63, 2015:  Ord. 3139 § 406, 1977.  Formerly K.C.C.  12.90.060).

12.86.400  Public nuisance noise.

1. It is unlawful for any person to cause, or for any person in possession of property to allow to originate from the property, sound that is a public nuisance noise.  For the purposes of this section, “public nuisance noise” means any sound that unreasonably annoys, injures, interferes with or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of a community or neighborhood, although the extent of damage may be unequal.
2. A noise need not exceed the maximum permissible sound levels of this chapter or be a public disturbance noise, as described in K.C.C. 12.86.410, in order to be a public nuisance noise.  (Ord. 18000 § 70, 2015:  Ord. 14114 § 9, 2001:  Ord. 3139 § 501, 1977.  Formerly K.C.C. 12.92.010).

12.86.410. Public disturbance noise

A.7.  Any sound out of doors that interferes with normal conversation at a distance of fifty feet or more from the source of the sound when the sound is received in a residential or rural district.

B. A noise need not exceed the maximum permissible sound levels of this chapter or be a public nuisance noise in order to be a public disturbance noise.

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File #: 2015-0437, Version: 2

b. The on-site processing of the extracted materials shall be limited to the sorting of the materials into separate dirt, sand and gravel components, and crushing and washing of those components that will be used for on-site construction of the buildings and required site improvements; and

c. The on-site processing shall be limited to 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.