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Lubbock, TX Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
§ 6.04.003, Disturbing persons on ground
Standard
No altitude threshold, based on disturbance
Related minimum altitude
1,000 feet under § 6.04.001
Enforcing official
Director of aviation / airport board
Original adoption
Ordinance 1233, sec. 4, adopted 6/24/1952

Summary

Lubbock makes it unlawful to run aircraft engines through acceleration or deceleration over the city in a way that distracts, excites or disturbs people on the ground, regardless of altitude. The rule sits alongside a 1,000-foot minimum altitude requirement and a citywide ban on aerobatics without city council and FAA sign-off.

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate aircraft engines through acceleration or deceleration while over the city in such a manner as will distract, excite or disturb persons on the ground, regardless of altitude.

Full Breakdown

04 (Airport Regulations, Division 1, Generally), targets engine-noise nuisance specifically: it is unlawful for any person to operate aircraft engines through acceleration or deceleration while over the city in a manner that will distract, excite or disturb persons on the ground, regardless of altitude. The prohibition is not tied to a decibel meter or a minimum height; a pilot who guns an engine low or high enough to disturb residents violates the section either way. It was adopted by Ordinance 1233 in 1952 and carried forward through the 1959, 1983 and current codifications without amendment, so the language a violator faces today is the same text the city council passed in the 1950s.

004, which separately bans aerobatics over the city at any altitude unless the event is approved by the city council, coordinated with the FAA flight standards district office for a waiver, and flown solely within the waived airspace. 03 authorizes the director of aviation to eject a violating operator from the municipal airport or ground the aircraft, and the airport board can, after a hearing, deprive an operator of further use of airport facilities. 004, as a misdemeanor with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.

Violations & Fines

A violator faces a misdemeanor citation under Lubbock Code § 1.01.004, the general penalty section, since § 6.04.003 sets no fine of its own; each day the disturbance continues counts as a separate offense punishable in municipal court. The director of aviation can independently eject the operator from the municipal airport or ground the aircraft, and the airport board may, after a hearing, bar the operator from further use of airport facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lubbock have a specific decibel limit for aircraft noise?
No. Section 6.04.003 bans engine acceleration or deceleration that distracts, excites or disturbs people on the ground, regardless of altitude, rather than setting a numeric decibel threshold like the city's general noise ordinance uses for other sources.
Is there a minimum altitude for flying over Lubbock?
Yes. Section 6.04.001 sets a 1,000-foot minimum altitude over the city unless the aircraft could land safely outside a congested area on a complete power failure, with a narrower exception in § 6.04.002 for permitted agricultural aerial spraying operators.
Can the city ground a pilot for violating the noise rule?
Yes. The director of aviation may eject a violating operator from the municipal airport or ground the aircraft, and after a hearing the airport board can deprive the operator of further use of the airport and its facilities for whatever period protects life and property.

Sources & Official References

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