Lane County, OR Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LC 6.225.015(C)
- Ordinance adopted
- Ordinance 22-02, effective Feb. 8, 2022
- Standard noise limits (non-exempt)
- 50 dBA night, 60 dBA day
- Enforcing agency
- Land Management Division, Dept. of Public Works
- Variance process
- LC 6.225.020, inapplicable to aircraft
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Lane County only
Summary
Lane County's noise ordinance, LC Chapter 6.225, does not cover aircraft. LC 6.225.015(C) exempts any sound source regulated by federal law, naming aircraft specifically alongside railroads and commercially licensed watercraft. That means the county's standard 50/60 dBA limits, its plainly-audible-at-night test, and its Manager-issued noise variances under LC 6.225.020 never apply to airplane or helicopter operations in the unincorporated area.
The provisions of this subchapter do not apply to: ... C. Sounds caused by sources regulated as to sound production by federal law, including, but not limited to, sounds caused by railroad, aircraft or commercially licensed watercraft operations.
Full Breakdown
, and at night it is also unlawful if merely 'plainly audible' fifty feet away on a public right-of-way. None of that reaches aircraft. ' Aircraft operations fall under federal jurisdiction, so the Land Management Division (the 'Manager' under this chapter) has no authority to cite a pilot, an airstrip operator, or an aviation business for exceeding the county's decibel limits. The same subsection C goes on to impose an added standard on railroad 'retarders,' but that added language is written only for rail yards and does not extend to airports.
020 variance process (a Manager application, a ten-day decision, and notice to neighbors within 500 feet) has no violation to grant a variance from where aircraft are concerned. , and normal agricultural, timber, utility and construction operations. This exemption applies only to Lane County's unincorporated area; airport-specific noise programs are handled outside this county chapter.
Violations & Fines
Because LC 6.225.015(C) exempts aircraft entirely, Lane County cannot issue a noise citation for airplane or helicopter sound under this chapter, and there is no fine, abatement order or Chapter 9 nuisance action available against it. For noise sources that are not exempt, LC 6.225.030 authorizes administrative enforcement under LC Chapter 5 and/or abatement under the nuisance procedures of LC Chapter 9, but that remedy path never opens for aircraft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lane County have a noise ordinance for the Eugene Airport or small aircraft?
Can I ask the county for a noise variance against a nearby airstrip?
Who actually regulates aircraft noise if the county doesn't?
Does this exemption also cover boat and train noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lane County
Compare Lane County to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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