Collier County, FL Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt
- normal aircraft operations and airport activity
- Also exempt
- mosquito-fogging aircraft
- Not exempt
- scale model aircraft
- Ordinance reach
- unincorporated Collier County only
- Appeal window
- 30 days to Board of County Commissioners
- General violation fines
- $100 to $500, escalating
Summary
Normal aircraft operations and airport activity in Collier County are fully exempt from the noise ordinance's decibel limits, including mosquito-fogging flights, but scale model aircraft are not covered and remain subject to the general Table I limits and penalties.
The following uses and activities shall be permitted under this Ordinance and are exempt from the Sound Level limits set forth in subsection 6.B: ... I.All Noise coming from the normal operations of aircraft (not including scale model aircraft), including Noise from mosquito fogging aircraft, and from the normal operations of airports within the County.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 126 | Land Development Code: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
The county's noise ordinance rests on findings in Sec. 54-85 that noise emissions above the ordinance's limits are potentially harmful and unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life and property, and it applies countywide within the unincorporated area under Sec. 54-86 (noise generated outside that area but reaching into it is still a violation). Sec. 54-87 lists nineteen categories of exempt uses and activities that are excused from the Sound Level limits in Sec. " That carve-out means neither the Sheriff's Office nor Code Enforcement measures decibels against departing or landing aircraft, agricultural or mosquito-control flights, or routine airport ground operations at facilities such as Immokalee Regional Airport or Marco Island Executive Airport.
The exemption is narrow, though: it excludes scale model aircraft by name, so hobbyist drone or model-plane noise is judged under the ordinary Table I limits like any other sound source. Anyone denied a related noise permit, or whose permit is revoked, can appeal to the Board of County Commissioners within 30 days of the decision by filing written notice with the County Manager, per Sec. 54-89, and the Board must give due public notice of the appeal hearing.
Violations & Fines
Because normal aircraft and airport noise is exempt outright, it cannot generate a citation under this ordinance. Scale model aircraft noise that is not exempt, and any other Table I violation, carries escalating fines under Sec. 54-90(A): $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second, and up to $500 for a third or subsequent violation, with equipment confiscation possible after three violations from the same source within 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint against an airport near me in Collier County?
Are model airplanes or drones covered by the aircraft noise exemption?
Is mosquito-control spraying by air exempt from Collier's noise rules?
How do I appeal a noise-related permit denial in Collier County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Collier County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Collier County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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