Milwaukee County owns Milwaukee Mitchell International (MKE) and Timmerman (MWC) airports, but aircraft operations and flight noise are regulated by the FAA, not the county. The county can only run a noise office and recommend voluntary abatement to the FAA; it cannot set local aircraft-noise limits.
Aircraft noise is federally preempted. Milwaukee County owns and operates Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport (MWC) through its Department of Transportation, but the Federal Aviation Administration controls aircraft in flight, runway assignments, and airspace. The county does not direct aircraft and instead submits noise-abatement recommendations to the FAA for a final decision. Mitchell operates voluntary noise-abatement measures approved through an FAR Part 150 study, including preferred jet runways and nighttime procedures between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Residents disturbed by flights can log a complaint with the airport's Noise Management Office, but neither the county nor any municipality can impose an enforceable curfew or decibel cap on aircraft.
There is no local aircraft-noise citation. Because flight operations are FAA-regulated, the county's role is limited to logging complaints and recommending voluntary abatement to the FAA. Local noise ordinances still apply to ground vehicles, not aircraft in flight.
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