Federal law (49 U.S.C. §§40103, 41713 and FAA regulations) preempts the City of Chino from regulating aircraft-in-flight noise. Operations at Chino Airport (KCNO) — a San Bernardino County-owned general aviation reliever airport along Merrill Avenue at the southern edge of the city — are governed by the FAA and the airport sponsor, not Chino Municipal Code §9.40. What Chino does regulate is the land-use side: under the Chino Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan (ACLUP) administered through San Bernardino County's 'Alternative Process' (no formal ALUC; local jurisdictions handle compatibility planning), the City must notice development applications within adopted airport noise and safety zones and assure compatibility with Chino Airport operations. The CMC §9.40.040 exterior noise standards (65 dBA daytime / 55 dBA nighttime in residential zones) expressly do not apply to aircraft operations.
Chino Airport handles roughly 200,000 annual operations and is home to the Planes of Fame Air Museum and the Yanks Air Museum, generating substantial warbird and vintage aircraft activity, plus flight-school traffic. Residents under the traffic pattern frequently report low-altitude piston-aircraft noise; the proper channel is the airport's noise complaint line operated by San Bernardino County Department of Airports, not Chino code enforcement. The ACLUP (adopted by the County, last revised 2023) maps a 60-65 dB CNEL contour around KCNO; residential infill within that contour requires sound attenuation to interior 45 dB CNEL per California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2, §1207). New residential subdivisions in the airport influence area must include avigation easements and buyer notice disclosures (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §11010(b)(13)).
City code enforcement cannot cite aircraft operators for in-flight noise — complaints are referred to the FAA (Flight Standards District Office, Riverside FSDO) and the County airport sponsor. Land-use violations (e.g., building within an airport safety zone without ACLUP review) are enforced through Title 20 zoning citations; administrative citations up to $1,000/day for continuing zoning violations.
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