Bloomington, IN Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Status
- Fully exempt from local noise ordinance
- Cite
- BMC § 14.09.040(g)
- Covers
- Aircraft under federal law/ATC instructions
- Distress aircraft
- Also exempt during declared emergencies
- Regulator
- Federal aviation authorities, not the city
Summary
In the City of Bloomington, aircraft noise is exempt from the local noise ordinance entirely: Bloomington Municipal Code § 14.09.040(g) excuses any aircraft operating under federal law, federal air regulations, and air traffic control instructions. Aircraft in genuine distress, under emergency air-traffic-control orders, or operating under a declared federal air emergency stay exempt too, leaving aircraft noise regulation to the FAA rather than the city.
(g)Any aircraft operated in conformity with, or pursuant to, federal law, federal air regulations, and air traffic control and instructions and pursuant to and within the duly adopted federal air regulations. Any aircraft operating under technical difficulties in any kind of distress, under emergency orders of air traffic control or being operated pursuant to and subsequent to the declaration of an emergency under federal air regulations is also exempt;
Full Breakdown
040 lists the activities the city's noise chapter simply doesn't reach, and aircraft is one of them under subsection (g): any aircraft operated in conformity with federal law, federal air regulations, and air traffic control instructions is exempt from Bloomington's noise control ordinance outright. The exemption doesn't lapse for aircraft in trouble, either; it specifically extends to aircraft operating under technical difficulties or distress, under emergency orders from air traffic control, or under a declared federal air emergency. 09 doesn't set decibel limits, curfews, or flight paths for aircraft the way it does for construction equipment or car stereos elsewhere in the same chapter; anyone with a noise complaint about a flight has no local ordinance route in Bloomington and needs to go through the federal complaint process instead. 09 is written to regulate only the noise sources within the city's own police power, not sources federal law already occupies.
Violations & Fines
There is no local violation to charge because § 14.09.040(g) removes conforming aircraft operations from Chapter 14.09 altogether; the Bloomington Police Department has no enforcement role over aircraft noise under this ordinance. A noise complaint about air traffic is a matter for federal aviation authorities, not a written finding of violation or civil fine under § 14.09.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complain to the city about airplane noise over my house?
Does the exemption still apply to a plane in an emergency?
Why doesn't Bloomington regulate aircraft noise like it does construction or traffic noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomington
Compare Bloomington to another location·View the Indiana noise ordinances overview
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