Cowlitz County, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Chapter 10.25 CCC, adopted by Ordinance 12-150 on November 6, 2012, lists 17 categories of exempt sound in § 10.25.050, and the first is aircraft. Section 10.25.050(A)(1) exempts 'sounds that originate from aircraft in flight, and sounds that originate at airports and are directly related to flight operations; provided, that such operations are in compliance with all applicable regulations.' Because this sits in § 10.25.050 rather than § 10.25.040, aircraft noise is removed from the definition of a public noise disturbance entirely rather than merely time-limited: § 10.25.040(C) confirms that 'no sound source specifically exempted from provisions of this chapter by CCC § 10.25.050 may be determined to be a public noise disturbance, to the extent that the particular source of the noise is exempted.' In practice this means a resident near a county airstrip or under a flight path cannot bring a noise-disturbance complaint against ordinary takeoffs, landings or in-flight operations under this chapter, provided those operations comply with applicable FAA and state aviation regulations; the exemption does not cover other airport-adjacent activity unrelated to flight, such as ground equipment or hangar work, which remain subject to the general disturbance rules in § 10.25.040.

The Sheriff, which holds primary enforcement authority under § 10.25.060, has no jurisdiction to cite a compliant flight operation as a noise violation under this chapter.