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Salt Lake County, UT Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Zone A noise level
Most severe; residential uses barred outright
Zone A commercial buildings
Require 25 dB sound attenuation minimum
Hotel/motel sleeping areas
30 dB attenuation required in Zone A
Zones A-E requirement
Aviation easement required for all development
Permit trigger
Required before construction, Section 19.70.210
Penalty
Class C misdemeanor, Section 19.94.040
Governing chapter
Ch. 19.70, adopted 1984, amended 2001

Summary

Salt Lake County's Airport Overlay Zone divides land around county airports into five noise-based Airport Restriction Zones, A through E, keyed to how much aircraft noise the area absorbs. Zone A, the loudest, bars new homes outright and requires 25 to 30 decibels of sound attenuation for any commercial building, hotel or motel that is still allowed. Every parcel in Zones A through E needs an aviation easement before development.

City-specific rules exist: Sandy, West Jordan, and Salt Lake City have their own aircraft noise rules that differ from Salt Lake County's county-level regulations. If you live in one of those cities, check the city-specific page instead.

A.Except as provided for in this chapter, no structure or use of land shall be erected, altered or utilized in any airport restriction zone so as to create an incompatible use, as hereinafter established for such zones. In addition, any development within Airport Restriction Zones A, B, C, D or E requires an aviation easement... C.Airport Restriction Zone A. The following uses are incompatible in this zone:1.Residential uses;2.Commercial uses, except those constructed with air circulation systems and at least twenty-five db of sound attenuation;3.Institutional uses, such as schools, hospitals, churches and rest homes;4.Hotels and motels, except those constructed with air circulation systems and at least thirty db of sound attenuation in sleeping areas, and at least twenty-five db of sound attenuation elsewhere.

Source: SLC Airport NoiseView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).

Full Breakdown

70) protects Salt Lake County's airports from land uses that put people under the loudest overflight paths. The zoning map divides the noise footprint into five Airport Restriction Zones. Zone A sits closest to the runway and is exposed to the most severe aircraft noise: residential uses are flatly incompatible, and even a permitted commercial building, hotel or motel must be built with a mechanical air circulation system, so windows stay closed, and at least twenty-five decibels of sound attenuation, rising to thirty decibels in hotel and motel sleeping areas.

Zone B covers severe noise exposure: houses are incompatible unless they sit in an agricultural zone and carry twenty-five decibels of attenuation, and schools, hospitals, churches and rest homes face the same air-circulation and attenuation condition. Zone C, moderate noise, allows houses and mobile homes only with air circulation systems, plus twenty decibels of attenuation for mobile homes. Zone D restricts low-density residential and school uses under a primary flight track to air-circulation-equipped buildings, and Zone E, covering heavily used traffic patterns, carries no use restriction beyond a mandatory aviation easement. 220. 260, and an abandoned nonconforming structure, vacant twelve consecutive months, loses its right to rebuild above the height limit. 280.

Violations & Fines

Building without the required permit, easement or sound-attenuation upgrade violates Title 19 zoning and is punishable as a Class C misdemeanor under Section 19.94.040, with each day the violation continues after written notice from the development services director treated as a separate offense. The county can also pursue injunctions, abatement or civil penalties, and it may deny or condition any permit that would create or aggravate an airport hazard under Section 19.70.220.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build a new house in Airport Restriction Zone A near a Salt Lake County airport?
No. Salt Lake County Code Section 19.70.200(C) lists residential uses as incompatible in Zone A outright, with no sound-attenuation exception the way there is for commercial buildings, hotels and motels. Zone A covers the area exposed to the most severe aircraft noise on the airport zoning map. If your parcel falls in Zone B, C, D or E instead, different and less restrictive rules apply.
What counts as required soundproofing in Airport Restriction Zone B?
A house is incompatible in Zone B unless it sits in an agricultural zone and is built with a mechanical air circulation system plus at least twenty-five decibels of sound attenuation, per Section 19.70.200(D). Schools, hospitals, churches, rest homes, hotels and motels face the same air-circulation and attenuation condition to be allowed in that zone.
Does every parcel near a county airport need an aviation easement?
Yes. Any development, meaning a subdivision of property or new construction on vacant land, within Airport Restriction Zones A through E requires recording an aviation easement under Section 19.70.200(A), even in Zone E where there is otherwise no use restriction on the property.
What happens if I build without the required permit or easement?
It is a Class C misdemeanor under Salt Lake County Code Section 19.94.040, and the county can also seek an injunction, abatement order or civil penalty, with each day the violation continues after notice counted as a separate offense.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Salt Lake County

All Salt Lake County rules

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