The City of Merced does not regulate aircraft noise directly; flight operations are federally preempted. The code adopts FAA air-traffic and flight rules by reference for the Merced Regional Airport (MMC 2.32.030, 2.32.050). The city manages noise through land use: the Airport Environs (/AE) overlay requires nearby development to follow the County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (MMC 20.22.020).
Aircraft-noise regulation is the domain of the Federal Aviation Administration, and Merced's code reflects that. For the city-owned Merced Regional Airport, MMC 2.32.030(A) requires all aircraft operations to conform to current Federal Aviation regulations, and MMC 2.32.050(A) adopts the FAA's and the State of California's applicable air-traffic and flight rules by reference. The code sets operational items like traffic patterns (Runway 30 left-hand, Runway 12 right-hand) and a minimum helicopter altitude of 200 feet AGL over parked aircraft (MMC 2.32.050(C)-(D)), but it does not impose aircraft-noise decibel limits or curfews, which a local government generally cannot do for flight operations. What the city does control is land use around the airport. The Airport Environs (/AE) overlay zone (MMC 20.22.020) applies to land in the airport influence area and requires all development and land-use actions to comply with the compatibility criteria in the Merced County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP), which addresses noise contours, overflight, and safety. Industrial structures near the airport must also comply with the ALUCP and the airport-compatibility height rules in MMC 20.12.030. Residents concerned about flight noise should direct complaints to the airport or the FAA rather than the city's code-enforcement process.
There is no city aircraft-noise citation. Airport ground and operating violations are enforced under the FAA-referenced rules and the airport regulations in MMC Chapter 2.32. Development that fails to meet the ALUCP compatibility criteria can be denied or conditioned through the /AE overlay (MMC 20.22.020).
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