Shasta County, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Aircraft in flight
- Regulated by the FAA (federal preemption)
- County mechanism
- Land-use compatibility near airports
- Standard used
- Noise Element land-use compatibility (Table 5.11-7)
- Airport restrictions
- Require federal FAR Part 161 process
- Regional airports
- Redding Municipal Airport, Benton Airfield
Summary
Aircraft flight operations are regulated by the FAA, not Shasta County. The County manages aircraft noise indirectly by guiding compatible land uses around airports such as Redding Municipal and Benton Airfield through its General Plan, and cannot set limits on aircraft in flight.
The Shasta County Airport Land Use Board of Administrative Review (ALUBAR) reviews land use proposals to determine whether they are consistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) for the Redding Municipal Airport. The Shasta County General Plan Noise Element identifies the acceptability of transportation noise exposure levels for different land uses in Table 5.11-7. Exterior noise levels of up to 65 dB Ldn/CNEL may be allowed provided that available exterior noise level reduction measures have been implemented and interior noise levels are in compliance with applicable standards.
Full Breakdown
The County of Shasta (California) cannot directly regulate aircraft noise, because aircraft operations, flight paths, and aviation noise standards are comprehensively regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration under federal law; the Supremacy Clause preempts local governments from independently regulating aircraft in flight. Instead, the County addresses aircraft noise through land-use compatibility. 11-7) to steer noise-sensitive uses such as homes and schools away from areas exposed to significant airport noise. Around airports in the region - including Redding Municipal Airport and Benton Airfield - airport land use compatibility planning, administered through the airport land use commission process, limits incompatible development in higher-noise contours.
In practice, when new noise-sensitive development is proposed near an airport, the County reviews it for compatibility and may require sound-attenuation measures or avigation easements rather than placing restrictions on individual aircraft. A local airport proprietor seeking to impose access or noise restrictions on aircraft must go through the federal FAR Part 161 process, underscoring that flight-noise control remains a federal matter.
Violations & Fines
The County enforces aircraft-noise compatibility through its land-use and permitting decisions, such as conditioning or denying noise-sensitive development in high-noise airport zones. Aircraft operations and pilots themselves are regulated and enforced by the FAA, not by county code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Shasta County limit aircraft noise directly?
What governs building near a Shasta County airport?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shasta County
California rules heatmap·Compare Shasta County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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