Fruitridge Pocket, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft noise is largely preempted from local nuisance-style enforcement by federal authority, so Sacramento County manages it through land use planning rather than the Chapter 6.68 noise ordinance. The county's General Plan Noise Element and the airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs) set the framework. Development proposals potentially affected by aircraft noise from Sacramento International Airport are evaluated against the Land Use Compatibility Plan adopted for that airport (dated December 12, 2013), and proposals near Mather Airport are evaluated against the Mather ALUCP (dated February 2021). Under the Noise Element, new residential uses within the 60 CNEL aircraft-noise contour are generally considered not compatible, subject to specified exceptions, and all residential units must be designed so interior noise does not exceed 45 CNEL with windows closed in any habitable room. Certain accessory dwellings on agricultural and interim-agricultural parcels between the 60 and 65 CNEL contours are handled as exceptions to the general compatibility standards. These CNEL-based contours, rather than the 55/50 dBA exterior limits, govern how close new homes and sensitive uses may be built to flight paths around Sacramento International, Mather, Executive and other county-area airports. Because day-to-day overflight noise is regulated federally and through these plans, residents typically cannot use the county noise ordinance to enforce limits against individual aircraft; the controls operate at the planning and airport-operations level.