Long Beach, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Training-flight hours
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends
- Engine runup hours
- 7 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekends
- Overnight SENEL limit
- 79 SENEL, 11 p.m.-6 a.m., Runways 30/12
- CNEL noise goal
- 65 CNEL near Incompatible Property
- First violation surcharge
- $200 within 24 months
- Repeat violation surcharge
- $600 within 12 months
- Enforcing official
- Long Beach Airport Manager
Summary
Chapter 16.43 of the Long Beach Municipal Code sets a CNEL noise ceiling and per-runway SENEL limits for every non-governmental flight at Long Beach Airport, restricts touch-and-go training and engine runups to daytime hours, and lets the Airport Manager issue escalating money surcharges against owner/operators who exceed them.
Training Operations. No Touch and Go, Stop and Go, Practice Low Approach, or VFR Practice Missed Approach shall be conducted at the Airport except between seven a.m. and seven p.m. on weekdays and between eight a.m. and three p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; provided, however, that if any such holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday and, as a result, a holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or succeeding Monday, then such Friday or Monday, as the case may be, shall be considered to be a holiday for purposes of this Section. Except for instrument training, Training Operations shall be conducted only on Runways 26R/8L and 26L/8R, unless the FAA directs such Operations on Runway 12/30.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
on weekends and listed holidays, and restricts those operations to Runways 26R/8L and 26L/8R. weekends/holidays, at Airport Manager-designated locations. ) confined to Runways 30 and 12 absent an emergency. 050(A) sets the City's cumulative goal that Incompatible Property (residential uses, schools, churches) near the Airport not be exposed above 65 CNEL, and excludes military and Public Aircraft noise from that calculation because the City bears no liability for those operations. 090: after a written notice of violation and a required compliance-plan submission, a $200 surcharge attaches to a single violation within 24 months, escalating to $600 for a second and each subsequent violation within 12 months; surcharges adjust annually for CPI starting July 1, 2025. 110.
Violations & Fines
A first noise violation after the Airport Manager's written notice draws a $200 surcharge under § 16.43.090(E); a second or subsequent violation within any 12-month period draws $600 under § 16.43.090(F). Surcharges are CPI-adjusted each July 1 starting 2025. Owner/operators may contest any decision through the administrative hearing and appeal procedure in § 16.43.110.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pilots practice touch-and-go landings at night at Long Beach Airport?
What's the quietest noise limit at Long Beach Airport at night?
What happens if an aircraft owner keeps exceeding the noise limits?
Are military flights covered by the Airport's noise budget?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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