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Bend, OR Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Few Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Aircraft noise status: Exempt from Bend's noise chapter
Governing section: Bend Code § 5.50.030(D)
Also exempted: Railroad and interstate motor carrier noise
Enforcement: None under Bend Code; FAA/airport channels instead

Summary

Bend does not regulate aircraft noise under its municipal noise chapter. Bend Code § 5.50.030(D) exempts 'sounds regulated by Federal law, including...sounds caused by railroads, interstate motor carriers or aircraft' from every provision of Chapter 5.50, deferring entirely to federal aviation rules instead of city decibel limits.

The following shall not be considered violations of any provision of this chapter: ... D. ... Sounds regulated by Federal law, including, but not limited to, sounds caused by railroads, interstate motor carriers or aircraft.

View official code

Full Breakdown

' Aircraft noise around Bend, including operations tied to Bend Municipal Airport, is therefore addressed through Federal Aviation Administration regulation and airport-level noise abatement procedures rather than through a Bend Municipal Code decibel limit, citation, or civil infraction. 040, have no application to aircraft overflight noise. This exemption sits in the same subsection that exempts interstate motor carrier and railroad noise, reflecting a single legislative choice to leave federally preempted transportation noise sources out of the local ordinance entirely. Residents near flight paths who want changes to aircraft noise need to pursue that through FAA channels or airport-level voluntary procedures, not a Bend Code Enforcement complaint, since the City Code affirmatively places aircraft outside its own enforcement reach.

Violations & Fines

There is no City of Bend civil infraction for aircraft noise: § 5.50.030(D) removes aircraft sound from the reach of the entire noise chapter, so Bend Police and Code Enforcement do not cite for it and the Class A civil infraction penalties in § 5.50.040 do not apply. Complaints instead go through the FAA or the airport rather than Bend Municipal Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I complain to the City of Bend about aircraft noise?

Not under the noise ordinance. Bend Code § 5.50.030(D) exempts sounds regulated by federal law, expressly including aircraft, from every provision of Chapter 5.50, so Bend Police and Code Enforcement have no decibel limit or citation authority over aircraft overflight noise.

Does Bend's 65 dBA residential limit apply to airplanes overhead?

No. The zoned limits in § 5.50.020 sit inside the same chapter that § 5.50.030(D) exempts aircraft from entirely, so the residential daytime and nighttime dBA figures never reach aircraft sound sources.

Are there other transportation noises Bend exempts the same way?

Yes. The same subsection, § 5.50.030(D), exempts sounds caused by railroads and interstate motor carriers alongside aircraft, all grouped together as sounds already regulated by federal law.

Sources & Official References

[1]Bend Code § 5.50.030, Exceptions

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