Hemet, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft noise in the City of Hemet centers on Hemet-Ryan Airport, a general-aviation airport in the southwest part of the City. Operating noise from aircraft and helicopters is not something the City can regulate directly: as the City's General Plan FEIR notes, helicopter landing pads and operations are regulated by the Caltrans Department of Aeronautics and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and federal law broadly preempts local control of aircraft in flight. Instead, the City addresses aircraft noise through land-use compatibility. The Hemet-Ryan Airport Comprehensive Airport Land Use Plan (ALUP), adopted in 1992 and amended in 2009, identifies 60 dB and 65 dB CNEL noise contours surrounding the airport for existing and future conditions; new development within those contours is reviewed for compatibility. The airport had about 192 average daily operations as of 2002, roughly 71% single-engine aircraft and 24% sailplanes, with helicopters about 3% (around six operations per day). Measured CNEL at the nearest sensitive receptors was about 54 dBA CNEL north and 63 dBA CNEL south of the airport. Low-flying helicopters can annoy residents, especially at night, but the City's role is limited to land-use review and coordinating with the airport and aviation authorities rather than setting enforceable flight-noise decibel limits.