Olympia City Ordinances That Apply to Campus

You can review them as well as relevant state laws regarding noise in the links below. 

Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 9.16 Offenses Against Public Peace

Olympia's city laws on disorderly conduct are especially helpful to review.

Olympia Municipal Code 9.16.020 Disorderly conduct

You are guilty of disorderly conduct if you do any of the following without having lawful authority: 

• Use language or act in a way that is abusive, threatening, or intimidating, which creates risk of others' safety, assault, riot or other public disorders
• Disrupt a lawful assembly or gathering
• Participate in activities which unreasonably disturbs public peace
• Cause a public noise disturbance or own or control property where there is a public noise disturbance.

Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 8.32 Noise 

Chapter 70A.20 RCW: Noise Control

Chapter 173-60 WAC: Maximum Environmental Noise Levels

Public noise disturbances are any sounds that unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort, and sleep of others, such as: 

• Excessive use of any horn or siren on a vehicle, except in cases of warning or as required by law
• Frequent, repetitive or continuous sounds from operating or repairing a vehicle or internal combustion engine in a residential district
• Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near public streets between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m
• Frequent, repetitive or continuous sounds coming from any building or residential dwelling, such as sounds from musical instruments, sound systems, band sessions, or social gatherings
• Sounds from car sound systems including tape players, radios, and CD players that can be heard from more than 50 feet away 
• Sounds from portable audio equipment including tape players, radios, and CD players that can be heard from more than 50 feet away and not on your own property

These laws don't apply to regularly scheduled events at parks, such as PA systems for baseball games and concerts.