Ann Arbor, MI Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Local coverage
- Aircraft noise excluded
- Excluded alongside
- Motor vehicles, railroad equipment
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 119, Noise Control, Art. I
- Who regulates instead
- FAA / state aviation authority
Summary
Ann Arbor's local noise ordinance expressly does not apply to aircraft, leaving aircraft noise regulated by federal and state aviation authority instead of the city.
The provisions of Article I apply to all sources of sound except:
(1)Motor vehicles (as defined in the State Motor Vehicle Code, 1949 P.A. 300 (MCLA 257.1 et seq.) in operation on a public right-of-way;(2)Aircraft in flight or in operation at an airport;(3)Railroad equipment in operation on railroad rights-of-way. 9:361. - Definitions. As used in this article:
(1)dB(A) means the intensity of a sound expressed in decibels read from a calibrated sound level meter utilizing the A-level weighting scale and the fast meter response, as specified in American National Standards Institute standard S 1.4-1971.(2)Commercial means a use of the property for purposes other than residential.(3)Legal holiday means the following days: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Veterans' Day, Christmas Day.(4)Property line means the imaginary line which represents the legal limits of property (including an apartment, condominium, room, or other dwelling unit) owned, leased, or otherwise occupied by a person, business, corporation or institution. In cases involving sound from an activity on a public street or other public right-of-way, the "property line" shall be the nearest boundary of the public right-of-way.(5)Residential means a legal use of property for temporary or permanent dwelling purposes. (Ord. No. 12-33, § 1, 12-3-12)
9:362. - General prohibition.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 119's Article I noise-control rules, the property-line decibel limits and time-of-day restrictions, apply to virtually all sound sources in the city except three carve-outs. Aircraft in flight or operating at an airport is one of them, alongside motor vehicles on public rights-of-way and railroad equipment. That means noise from planes over Ann Arbor is not something the city's own sound-level ordinance reaches; it falls to FAA and state aeronautics authority.
Violations & Fines
Not applicable, § 9:360(2) excludes aircraft noise from Chapter 119 entirely, so the city's noise-violation penalties (fines up to $500) do not attach to aircraft sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint about airplanes in Ann Arbor?
Why doesn't Ann Arbor regulate aircraft noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ann Arbor
Compare Ann Arbor to another location·View the Michigan noise ordinances overview
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