Manchester, NH Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 94.11(C) and (D), Exemptions
- Flight exemption
- Aircraft in flight subject to federal noise-control law
- Ground exemption
- Ground-based aircraft activity, including testing or engine run-up noise
- Limits displaced
- Table A in § 94.10, measured at the property line
- Residential night limit
- 50 dBA, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., for residential sources
- Enforcing officer
- Chief of Police or designee, § 94.04
Summary
Manchester's noise chapter sets decibel limits at the property line, but § 94.11(C) and (D) carve out aircraft. Any aircraft in flight subject to federal noise-control law, and any ground-based aircraft activity including testing or engine run-up noise, falls outside the Table A limits. Neither exemption carries an hour restriction or a decibel cap.
The maximum permissible sound pressure levels as specified in § 94.10, Table A shall not apply to sounds emitted from: ... (C) Any aircraft in flight subject to federal law regarding noise control. (D) Any ground-based aircraft activity including testing or engine run-up noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 94 of the Manchester Code of Ordinances measures noise at the property line of the receiving premises and applies the Table A limits in § 94.10. For a residential receptor the table allows 55 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. when the source is a residential premises. Section 94.11 then lists the sounds that the maximum permissible levels in Table A do not cover, and two of those entries concern aircraft.
Subsection (C) exempts any aircraft in flight subject to federal law regarding noise control. The city does not write its own flight standard. It defers to the federal noise-control regime for aircraft in the air, and Table A never applies to that sound. Subsection (D) exempts any ground-based aircraft activity including testing or engine run-up noise. That wording is broader than the flight exemption: it reaches aircraft on the ground, engine testing and run-ups, and the text does not name a time window or a decibel ceiling.
That contrasts with many neighboring entries in the same section. Domestic power equipment is exempt only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and only up to 80 dBA, commercial power equipment only up to 88 dBA, and emergency generator testing is confined to 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a limit of 88 dBA. The aircraft entries in (C) and (D) contain no comparable conditions.
The chapter's scope clause in § 94.02 covers noise originating within the city limits, and § 94.03 excludes aircraft from the definition of motor vehicle, so aircraft are not swept into the Table B vehicle limits in § 94.12 either. Enforcement of the chapter belongs to the Chief of Police or a designee under § 94.04, and measurements follow the ANSI S series standards under § 94.05. A resident bothered by aircraft sound has no Table A citation to invoke against it.
Violations & Fines
Section 94.42(C) and (D) prohibit noise above the Table A levels without a variance, and § 94.43 sets the penalty schedule for violations of § 94.42: a $100 citation for a first offense, $250 for a second, $500 for a third, and $1,000 for the fourth and each later offense. Each day counts as a separate offense, and a court finding for the city can add costs of suit, expert fees, attorney fees and investigation costs. Because § 94.11(C) and (D) remove aircraft sound from Table A, that schedule does not attach to it. Sections 94.42(A) and (B), false information and interfering with an enforcement officer, still apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Manchester limit how loud aircraft can be in flight?
Are engine run-ups and testing on the ground covered by the noise limits?
Can Manchester police cite aircraft noise under Table A?
Do aircraft count as motor vehicles under the city's vehicle noise table?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
Compare Manchester to another location·View the New Hampshire noise ordinances overview
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Aircraft Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle aircraft noise.