Mariposa County, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft noise is not regulated by Mariposa County, and federal law largely prevents the county from doing so. Under the federal aviation statutes and the Noise Control Act, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controls aircraft operations, flight paths and noise standards in navigable airspace, and the U.S. Supreme Court held in City of Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal that this federal scheme preempts local attempts to control aircraft noise, such as curfews. The county's General Plan Noise Element (Chapter 15) identifies the Mariposa-Yosemite Airport as a chief noise source but addresses it through compatibility planning, noting that 'both the Airport Land Use Plan and the General Plan reflect preventive policies to accommodate both a growing airport and desirable area development,' and that as of 2002 the airport 'did not generate complaints from nearby residences.' Mariposa County is the main gateway to Yosemite National Park, and air tours and overflights connected to the park are managed under the federal National Parks Air Tour Management framework administered by the FAA and National Park Service, not by the county. Complaints about aircraft, helicopter or overflight noise over communities like El Portal, Wawona or Fish Camp are therefore handled through the FAA rather than the Mariposa County Sheriff or Planning Department. Limited authority over ground-based airport activities may rest with the airport proprietor, but the county has no general power over aircraft noise in flight.