Summary

Major overhaul uses clear rules and common sense

Story

As summer gets into full swing, Metropolitan King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert wants to share with residents that there are new, improved noise guidelines for residents living in the unincorporated communities of King County that go into effect July 2.

“This total redevelopment of the noise law was a major effort and I’m very grateful to the team of people who worked on this for over a year,” said Lambert, the sponsor of legislation adopted by the Council this spring. “I believe that this effort will enable more resolution of noise issues with its emphasis on definitive rules, including clear hours for construction and noise enforcement that relies more on common sense than on expensive equipment. The King County Sheriff will also be directly involved with enforcement -- being out in the community, the deputies can have better response times. I also hope that the mediation option that’s now part of the code will encourage people to talk with their neighbors and work out issues, hopefully without the involvement of law enforcement.” 

The new regulations were developed with the expertise of key county agencies, including Public Health, the Sheriff’s Office, Hearing Examiner, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Department of Permitting and Environmental Review. The Dispute Resolution Center of King County lent insights into mediation alternatives.

Councilmember Lambert heard from many constituents about the need to streamline and improve our code. It was a difficult job to find a balance between allowing industry noise to occur while prohibiting excessive noise that harms the health and well-being of our communities. The construction industry, individual residents and neighborhood organizations gave input or testified in committee. Community meetings were also held by staff in order to answer questions and hear concerns.

In the end, twelve separate noise chapters were consolidated into one chapter, so that residents can find the regulations easily in the county code. The new regulations shift the enforcement focus for neighborhood noise from solely technical decibel limits to public disturbance provisions. A “public disturbance” is “any sound that unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort or repose of a person or persons.” Examples in the code provide guidance on what kinds of sounds might constitute a public disturbance. Construction noise is given specific hours of operation, replacing a myriad of decibel levels and time intervals that were difficult to enforce. While the spirit and intent of the original code is intact, its enforceability is greatly enhanced.

Under the new noise code, it is clarified who you would contact. If you’re experiencing loud and raucous neighborhood noise, you should call the King County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 206-296-3311; if it is a construction matter, you should call the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review at 206-296-6680.

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