City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 10
Chapter 10.70
Section 10.70.030
 

Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Division V. Code Enforcement and Animal Regulations

Chapter 10.70 Noise Control

Section 10.70.030 Definitions

All terminology used in this chapter which is not defined below shall be interpreted in conformance with the most recent definitions used by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or its successor body.

  1. “A-weighted sound level” means the sound pressure level in decibels measured using the A-weighted network on a sound level meter as specified by the American National Standards Institute specification for sound level meters as now existing or as hereafter amended or modified. The level so read is designated dBA.
  1. “Ambient sound” means the sound level at a given location that exists as a result of the combined contribution in that location of all sound sources, excluding the contribution of a source or sources under investigation for violation of this chapter and excluding the contribution of extraneous sound sources.
  1. “Amplified” means to increase a sound level by electronic, mechanical or other means.
  1. “Amplification equipment” means any device, whether mechanical, electrical, or other, used to increase the loudness or volume and intensity of sound.
  1. “Background sound level” means the level of all sounds in a given environment, independent of the specific source being measured.
  1. “Commercial noise” means noise emitted from commercial activities including those noises generated by a combination of equipment, facilities, operations, or activities employed in the production, storage, handling, sale, purchase, exchange, or maintenance of a product, commodity, or service and those noise levels generated in the storage or disposal of waste products.
  1. “dBA” means the sound level as measured with a sound level meter using the A-weighted network. This frequency weighting network for the measurement of sound levels shall comply with standards established by the American National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters S1.4-1983 (R2006) / S.14A-1985 (R2006), or as amended.
  1. “Decibel” (dB) means the practical unit of measurement for sound pressure level; the number of decibels of a measured sound is equal to twenty times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of the sound pressure to the pressure of a reference sound (twenty micropascals); abbreviated “dB.”
  1. “EDNA” means environmental designation for noise abatement, which is an area within which maximum permissible noise levels are established by the Washington State department of ecology and this chapter.
  1. “Exterior electrical equipment noise” means noise emitted from electrical equipment located on the exterior of structures in all land use zones including, but not limited to, noise emitted from equipment used for heating and cooling of buildings.
  1. “Law enforcement officer” means a police officer or other officials who have a limited police commission.
  1. “Lmax” means the maximum recorded root mean square (rms) A-weighted sound level for a given time interval or event. Lmax “fast” is defined as a 125-millisecond time-weighted maximum.
  1. “L(n)” means sound level that is exceeded “n” percent of the time. For example a sound that exceeded a certain level eight percent of the time would be designated L08. A level exceeded ninety percent of the time would be designated as L90. The L90 descriptor is used to characterize the ambient condition in environments with extraneous sounds.
  1. “Mosquito device” means an electronic device which emits sound at a frequency of 17 kHz or above.
  1. “Performer” means an artist who engages in any constitutionally-protected expressive activities on a public right-of-way, including but not limited to the following: acting, singing, playing musical instruments, pantomime, juggling, magic, dancing, reading, puppetry, sidewalk art, and reciting.
  1. “Plainly audible” means any sound for which any of the content of that sound, such as, but not limited to, comprehensible musical rhythms, is communicated to a person using his or her unaided hearing faculties. For the purposes of the enforcement of this chapter, the detection of any component of sound, including, but not limited to, the rhythmic bass by a person using his unaided hearing faculties is sufficient to verify plainly audible sound. It is not necessary for the person to determine the title, specific words or artist of music, or the content of any speech.
  1. “Public disturbance noise” means unreasonable sound a person causes or permits to be caused, either originating from the real or personal property the person possesses or controls, or from the person or his personal property while on public property or the public right-of-way. “Unreasonable sound” is defined in this chapter.
  1. “Public right-of-way” means a public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, path, sidewalk, roadway, or any other public place or public way.
  1. “Receiving property” means real property, including, but not limited to, buildings, grounds, offices and dwelling units from which sound levels from sound sources outside the property may be measured. Individual offices or dwelling units within a building may constitute a receiving property.
  1. “Sound amplification equipment” means any machine or device for the amplification of the human voice, music or any other noise or sound.
  1. “Sound level” means a weighted sound pressure level measured by the use of a sound level meter using an A-weighted network and reported as decibels, dBA.
  1. “Sound level meter” means any instrument including a microphone, an amplifier, an output meter, and frequency weighting networks for the measurement of noise and sound levels in a specified manner and that complies with standards established by the American National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters S1.4-1983 (R2006) / S1.4A-1985 (R2006), or as amended.
  1. “Unreasonable sound” means any excessive or unusually loud sound that unreasonably annoys, disturbs, interferes with, injures or endangers the peace, comfort, health, repose or safety of a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or that causes injury or damage to property or business.

Date Passed: Monday, October 3, 2022

Effective Date: Monday, October 3, 2022

ORD C36289 Section 5