Gulfport, MS Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

The AEAZD, created to protect the airport's operations and the surrounding population, applies two separate sets of standards on top of a property's base zoning: a Land Use Compatibility Overlay tied to aircraft noise exposure, and a Height/Airspace Overlay tied to Federal Aviation Regulation Part 77 surfaces. The noise overlay's three subdistricts, the 65-70 LDN band, the 70-75 LDN band, and the 75-plus LDN band, are mapped from the Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority's FAA-approved noise exposure map, and Table A of the ordinance sets out which land uses are compatible, compatible with restrictions, or prohibited in each band.

A use marked "Yes, with restrictions" needs written sign-off from the planning division administrator before it can proceed. Where a nonpermissible use or a use compatible only with restrictions is approved by variance, special exception or Planning Commission action, the applicant must convey an avigation easement to the Airport Authority covering the right of flight over the property, recorded with the Chancery Clerk of Harrison County's First Judicial District. The height overlay separately bars any building permit for a structure that would come within ten feet of penetrating the primary, approach, transitional, horizontal or conical surfaces defined under Part 77, unless the planning division administrator certifies no airport hazard results, and any work inside a runway protection zone needs the Airport Authority's development review before a permit issues.

Land surveyors working inside the AEAZD must note that fact on every plat, and the department of urban development's planning division is required to notify local surveyors and real estate professionals of the district's existence and restrictions.