Birmingham, AL Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Article B of Chapter 8, the city's general noise ordinance, otherwise prohibits a wide range of loud or disturbing sounds under Sec. 11-8-21 and lists specific prohibited acts at Sec. 11-8-23, from car horns to construction equipment to loudspeakers. But Sec. 11-8-25, titled 'Exemptions,' carves nine categories out of that article entirely, and the third exemption is aircraft noise: 'Noise resulting from the operation of the Birmingham International Airport.' The exemption is unconditional on its face, unlike several of the article's other carve-outs (special events are exempt only if conducted between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. within 50 feet of a residential district, for example).

That means the city's noise nuisance standard in Sec. 11-8-21, the plainly-audible thresholds in Sec. 11-8-23(8) (50 feet from a structure, ten feet from a vehicle), and the balancing factors in Sec. 11-8-24 (proximity to sleeping areas, time of night, duration) do not apply to sound generated by airport operations. Birmingham International Airport sits under the authority of the Birmingham Airport Authority and is separately subject to federal noise regulation under FAA rules (14 C.F.R. Part 150 noise compatibility programs), which operate independently of this municipal exemption.

Residents near the airport who are disturbed by flight noise have no local ordinance remedy through Chapter 8; any recourse runs through the airport authority or federal aviation channels, not a city noise citation.