County Noise Ordinances?

ultrarunner · Oct 1, 2023

I'm in rural Washington on 17 acres and most neighbors have much more land.

Always very good relations with all my neighbors except my closest have not met since 2005... others say he is kind of a recluse and doesn't socialize and his homestead almost looks let go like no one maintains it...

I'm on s tight schedule and was using a rented Honda pressure washer and a car comes down my road so I shut down the Honda.

He says the noise is driving him out of his house and it's Sunday 8 pm... I would be done by 9 and he says we have noise Ordinances...

I say I'm sorry it's bothering you and ask him what time he leaves for work in the morning... no answer.

I say since 2005 we are neighbors...

The original washer I reserved was returned broken so this one is for Sunday only.

Noise ordinance says quiet hours start at 10 pm daily... the morning work begin hours vary.

Part of me after double checking the ordinance says I should just finish and keep to schedule... the other part does not want to make waves when U live 800 miles away...

Sad for a first interaction and more so now in that all 3 of my wonderful neighbors passed away in the last 12 months...

How would you handle the situation?

mikester · Oct 2, 2023

Around my area Sundays still mean something and we have more restrictive hours on allowable noise. Noise from farming operations has exemptions.

Follow your local noise ordinances and be a friendly neighbor.

workinonit · Oct 2, 2023

How far away from you is the guy?

RjCorazza · Oct 2, 2023

I follow our noise ordinances and then some for the most part. In my area Sunday and holidays have no different requirements... A certain decibel limitation from 10pm to 7am, and another for daytime.
I keep a copy of the ordinance on my phone when cutting the 18 semi rural properties I manage just in case, but no one has ever complained.
I cut between 8am and 5 pm weekdays, and during daytime hours landscaping and snowplowing equipment is exempt from the (daytime) decibel spec when the equipment is "operated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications".
I do plow snow beginning much earlier than 7am so people can get to work, which I think is reasonable. No complaints over the years for that either, but my contact specifies that a neighbor complaint will result in their driveway not getting plowed until after 7am.

K5lwq · Oct 2, 2023

I am surprised that there is a noise ordinance with 17 plus acre parcels. I am also surprised he could even hear a Honda engine running.

Wonder if it was the noise that bothered him or the violation(in his mind) that was his problem. Either way I am thankful none of my neighbors would ever complain about such a thing!

sea2summit · Oct 2, 2023

ultrarunner said:
I'm in rural Washington on 17 acres and most neighbors have much more land.

Always very good relations with all my neighbors except my closest have not met since 2005... others say he is kind of a recluse and doesn't socialize and his homestead almost looks let go like no one maintains it...

I'm on s tight schedule and was using a rented Honda pressure washer and a car comes down my road so I shut down the Honda.

He says the noise is driving him out of his house and it's Sunday 8 pm... I would be done by 9 and he says we have noise Ordinances...

I say I'm sorry it's bothering you and ask him what time he leaves for work in the morning... no answer.

I say since 2005 we are neighbors...

The original washer I reserved was returned broken so this one is for Sunday only.

Noise ordinance says quiet hours start at 10 pm daily... the morning work begin hours vary.

Part of me after double checking the ordinance says I should just finish and keep to schedule... the other part does not want to make waves when U live 800 miles away...

Sad for a first interaction and more so now in that all 3 of my wonderful neighbors passed away in the last 12 months...

How would you handle the situation?

So you live there or you live 800 miles away? Might be that he never hears noise there so a machine running is a drastic change. But a pressure washer during the day…that’s a bit touchy. If you haven’t bet on 18 years in the area that also makes it harder to make a recommendation.

workinonit · Oct 2, 2023

Yea, I can't even imagine someone coming down my 1/3 mile driveway to tell me my Honda engine pressure washer was driving them crazy. They would get laughed at. We have no noise ordinances

Hay Dude · Oct 2, 2023

I think the neighbor is a whiner looking for problems where there aren’t.

mrmikey · Oct 2, 2023

Any necessary noise I make on a Sunday is after 9am and before 8-9pm, if you got a problem with that take a flying leap at a rolling donut. Necessary noise doesn't bother me in the least, mowers, trimmers, saws, tractors etc. if you're making noise with them you're doing it because you have to not because you're relaxing.
What really p's me off is neighbors', I've got one, that insist that we all like his music blasting any time day or night, I swear he must be deaf. To top it off, he's either burning the crap from his truck tires going up the road or tearing up the road on his 4 wheeler.