Bellingham, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Federal preemption: the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 (49 U.S.C. 47521 et seq.) limits airports from imposing new noise-based operational restrictions, and federal law preempts local governments from controlling routes of aircraft in flight. The FAA holds exclusive jurisdiction over flight paths, altitudes, and operating hours. Bellingham International Airport (FAA identifier BLI / ICAO KBLI) is owned and operated by the Port of Bellingham, a special-purpose port district. It is the third-busiest commercial airport in Washington State by passengers, hosts Allegiant Air and Alaska/Horizon scheduled service, two flight schools, business and general aviation, and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Bellingham (which conducts helicopter rescue operations over Puget Sound and the Salish Sea). The airport sits in northwest Bellingham bounded by the Marine Drive / Bakerview Road / Smith Road / Mitchell Way corridor. The Port of Bellingham publishes a Noise Abatement program at portofbellingham.com/797/Noise-Abatement, with specific VFR procedures - Runway 16 departures fly runway heading to pattern altitude beyond the shoreline before turning; Runway 34 arrivals fly the base leg over water and cross the shoreline on runway centerline - and IFR procedures aligned with FAA-approved Standard Instrument Departures and Vancouver Area Control Center radar vectors. BMC Chapter 10.24 contains no aircraft-noise provisions. WAC 173-60-050 expressly exempts 'sounds originating from aircraft in flight and sounds which originate at airports and are directly related to flight operations' from the state Maximum Environmental Noise Levels. The federal mechanism for community-wide aircraft noise assessment is the FAA Part 150 noise compatibility study process; the Port of Bellingham accepts Aircraft Noise Concern Forms from the public and routes them to the airport administration. Coast Guard Air Station Bellingham helicopter operations (HH-65 Dolphins) are federally operated and similarly exempt from local noise enforcement.