Nashua, NH Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Federal preemption: the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 (49 U.S.C. 47521 et seq.) limits airports and local governments from imposing new noise-based operational restrictions on aircraft, and the FAA holds exclusive jurisdiction over flight paths, altitudes, and operating hours under 49 U.S.C. 40103. Boire Field (FAA identifier ASH, ICAO KASH) is a public-use general-aviation reliever airport at 93 Perimeter Road in northwest Nashua, operated by the Nashua Airport Authority. The airport has a single primary runway, 14/32, 5,501 feet long and 100 feet wide. Runway 32 is designated the preferential runway for noise-abatement purposes. The published noise-abatement program is voluntary and includes: (1) light-aircraft traffic pattern altitude 1,200 feet MSL; (2) turboprop, turbojet, and heavy aircraft traffic pattern altitude 1,700 feet MSL; (3) Runway 14 departures climb at runway heading to at least 1,000 feet MSL if able and turn on course over the F.E. Everett Turnpike (the U.S. Route 3 / Turnpike corridor north of the airport); (4) Runway 32 departures climb at runway heading to 1,000 feet MSL before turning. The FAA determined that the Part 150 Noise Exposure Maps submitted by the Nashua Airport Authority are in compliance with applicable requirements of 14 CFR Part 150 effective April 29, 2009 (Federal Register Notice, May 19, 2009). Part 150 noise compatibility planning - including a Noise Compatibility Program (NCP) - is the FAA-blessed mechanism for community-wide aircraft-noise mitigation; the Nashua Airport Authority is the contact for noise complaints and noise-compatibility planning. KASH supports business aviation, two flight schools, the Civil Air Patrol, and based general-aviation aircraft; it does not host scheduled commercial passenger service (the nearest commercial airports are Manchester-Boston Regional MHT to the north and Boston Logan BOS / Hanscom Field BED to the south). Nashua Chapter 201 (Noise) contains no aircraft-noise provisions, consistent with the federal preemption framework. Nashua residents in the Searles Field area, the Fairgrounds neighborhood, the Daniel Webster Highway corridor, and along the F.E. Everett Turnpike north of the airport experience the most direct departure / arrival overflight. Helicopter operations from Boire Field (including law-enforcement, EMS, and corporate operations) are similarly federally regulated. NH has no statewide aircraft-noise statute parallel to Massachusetts' Logan-area state framework.