El Cajon, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing plan
- Gillespie Field ALUCP, Policy 3.3
- Applicable areas
- Zoning map Review Areas RA1 and RA2
- Reviewing body
- San Diego County Airport Land Use Commission
- Distinct from
- General noise standards, Sec. 17.115.130
- Related requirement
- Overflight notification, Sec. 17.260.100
Summary
Land within El Cajon's Airport Overlay Zone, the Review Areas around Gillespie Field and Montgomery Field, must be found consistent with the Gillespie Field ALUCP's noise compatibility policies before the city approves it. Section 17.260.110 keeps this airport noise review separate from the city's general noise performance standards.
§ 17.260.110. Noise Compatibility Policies. The Gillespie Field ALUCP contains policies intended to protect noise sensitive land uses from the sound created by flight operations. These policies are distinct from the performance standards for noise that are contained in Section 17.115.130 of this title. See Policy 3.3 of the Gillespie Field ALUCP for airport noise compatibility policies.
Full Breakdown
El Cajon regulates aircraft noise through its Airport Overlay Zone rather than through the general noise ordinance. 010 states the overlay implements the Gillespie Field and Montgomery Field Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) and lists noise, specifically that noise-sensitive uses are regulated and/or restricted around the airports, as one of four compatibility issues the ALUCPs address, alongside airspace protection, safety, and overflight annoyances. 020 makes the overlay applicable to all property within the Airport Influence Areas shown on the zoning map as "RA1" (Gillespie Field Review Area 1) and "RA2" (Review Area 2 for both fields); no part of Montgomery Field's Review Area 1 falls within city limits, and only Montgomery Field's airspace-protection policies apply here.
030 requires every land use and development proposal in the overlay to be found consistent with the applicable ALUCP before city approval, using the same review procedures as anywhere else in the city unless the title or the ALUCP requires otherwise. 040 lists project types that additionally require a consistency determination from the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, including general plan or zoning amendments affecting compatibility policy, FAA-flagged potential hazards, and non-aviation development on airport land itself. 130. 120).
Violations & Fines
The Airport Overlay Zone chapter enforces compliance through the development review process itself rather than a standalone citation schedule: a proposal within the RA1/RA2 Airport Influence Areas cannot be approved unless it is found consistent with the applicable ALUCP under Section 17.260.030, and projects on the Section 17.260.040 list are additionally held up pending a consistency determination from the county Airport Land Use Commission before the city may act on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does El Cajon have a separate aircraft noise rule from its general noise ordinance?
Which El Cajon properties are subject to airport noise compatibility review?
Who decides whether a project near Gillespie Field meets the noise policies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Cajon
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How other cities in San Diego County handle aircraft noise.