Aircraft noise in unincorporated Santa Clara County is largely outside local control: federal law (FAA) preempts local enforcement of aircraft and airport noise regulations. The County manages compatibility through its Airport Land Use Commission and General Plan, with four public-use airports including San Martin and Reid-Hillview.
Aircraft noise is not regulated through the County's general noise ordinance limits. Under Chapter 65 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code and Articles 3 and 3.5 of Chapter 4 of Division 9 of the California Public Utilities Code, local enforcement of noise regulations and land-use regulations related to noise control of airports is preempted by the FAA. Santa Clara County instead manages aircraft-noise impacts through land-use compatibility rather than direct noise enforcement. There are four public-use airports in the county - Palo Alto Airport, San Martin Airport, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, and Reid-Hillview County Airport (a County-operated airport). The County's Airport Land Use Commission adopts Comprehensive Land Use Plans and noise-contour mapping (commonly using the CNEL metric, which penalizes evening and nighttime noise) to guide compatible development around airports; County General Plan policy directs that land uses approved by the County and cities be consistent with the adopted policies of the Santa Clara County Airport Land Use Commission Plan. For everyday aircraft-noise complaints, residents are typically directed to the operating airport or the FAA rather than to County code enforcement, because the County cannot impose or enforce aircraft operating-noise limits.
There is no County aircraft-noise decibel limit to violate; local enforcement of aircraft and airport noise is preempted by the FAA. Compliance issues instead arise as land-use compatibility matters under the Airport Land Use Commission Plan and County General Plan, and operational complaints go to the airport or FAA.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Clara County, CA
Oversized and heavy vehicles face restrictions in unincorporated Santa Clara County. Commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight rating are barred fr...
Santa Clara County, CA
Heavy commercial vehicles are restricted from parking in residential areas of unincorporated Santa Clara County. County rules generally bar parking commercia...
Santa Clara County, CA
On County-maintained roads in unincorporated Santa Clara County, general street parking is allowed unless posted otherwise. Parking is governed by the County...
Santa Clara County, CA
Santa Clara County does not mandate specific fence materials for unincorporated residential properties. Wood, vinyl, metal, masonry, and chain link are all g...
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, Zoning Ordinance Section 4.20.050 limits fences to 3 feet within 20 feet of the front lot line and 8 feet elsewhere in ...
Santa Clara County, CA
Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires a permit from the Manager of Animal Care and Control to keep any 'dangerous animal,' which the County Code defines...
See how Santa Clara County's aircraft noise rules stack up against other locations.
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