La Plata County, CO Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential interior limit
- 50 db(A) inside from airport operations
- Commercial interior limit
- 55 db(A) inside from airport operations
- Overlay basis
- FAA airspace zones under 14 C.F.R. Part 77
- Proof required
- Noise study or engineer or architect certification
- Easement
- Avigation easement before any development permit
- Disclosure
- Buyer or lessee must be told the distance to the airport
Summary
In unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, buildings inside the airport safety overlay must be built so airport noise inside stays at or below 50 db(A) for residential space and 55 db(A) for commercial space. Section 72-3 of the County Code also requires sale and lease disclosure and an avigation easement before permits issue.
E. Noise level attenuation. In order to protect the owners, lessees, occupants and other users of property within an airport safety overlay area, all buildings shall be constructed to reduce interior noise levels as follows: 1. Residential uses and mixed uses. The owner of any building constructed primarily for residential use, or any portion of a mixed use building primarily intended for residential use, shall demonstrate in a form satisfactory to the director ... that the noise levels attributable to airport operations do not exceed fifty (50) db(A) inside such building or portion of a building. 2. Commercial uses. The owner of any building constructed primarily for commercial use, or any portion of a mixed use building primarily intended for commercial use, shall demonstrate in a form satisfactory to the director ... that the noise levels attributable to airport operations do not exceed fifty-five (55) db(A) inside such building or portion of a building.
Full Breakdown
Section 72-3 of the La Plata County Code sets an airport overlay for unincorporated land within or under the navigational airspace zones around an airport, as regulated by the FAA under 14 C.F.R. Part 77 and shown in the most recent Airport Layout Plan on file with the FAA. The section title says airport influence overlay and the body text says airport safety overlay for the same area. Its stated purpose covers land affected by aircraft noise, vibrations, fumes, dust, and fuel particles. Land use permit applications in the overlay are referred to the airport and the Federal Aviation Administration under section 66-11.II.
The noise rule is subsection V.E. Every building in the overlay must be built to reduce interior noise. For a building primarily for residential use, or the residential part of a mixed use building, the owner must show the director, by noise study, certification from an appropriate professional engineer or architect, or otherwise, that airport noise inside does not exceed 50 db(A). For commercial use the figure is 55 db(A). The director can rely on the most recent airport noise study or noise contour maps to set presumptive levels.
Two more duties come with it. Subsection VI bars selling, leasing, or offering property in the overlay without telling the buyer or lessee that it is in the overlay and identifying the distance between the property and the airport, and no plat can be recorded without a note saying so. Subsection VII requires an avigation easement for the benefit of the City of Durango and La Plata County, in a form acceptable to the county attorney, before any building, land use, or other development permit issues.
The county's general noise limits in Section 70-21 stop short of aircraft: subsection III.C says the article is not intended to apply to the operation of aircraft or to other activities subject to federal law on noise control. A subdivision plat within two miles of an airport must also carry the notice AIRCRAFT NOISE MAY EXIST WITHIN SUBDIVISION.
Violations & Fines
No building, land use, or other development permit issues in the overlay until the avigation easement is provided. Building without the approvals this code requires, or against its standards, is a violation under Section 80-3, enforced by the director, building official, or code enforcement officer. Staff issue a notice to correct violation with 30 days to comply, can follow with a stop order, and the county attorney can seek an injunction, with penalties assessed for each day the violation exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum airport noise inside a home in the airport overlay?
How do I prove my building meets the noise limit?
Do I have to tell a buyer that my property is in the airport overlay?
Does the county noise ordinance limit aircraft noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in La Plata County
Compare La Plata County to another location·View the Colorado noise ordinances overview
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