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

Noise from aircraft in flight is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration under federal law, and neither Sutter County nor California can set local limits on aircraft operations themselves. A CPUC noise study identifies aircraft flyovers, including operations at the Sutter County Airport and the nearby Yuba County Airport, plus Beale Air Force Base and a private airstrip, as primary noise sources in the area. Sutter County's role is on the land-use side: through its General Plan and airport land-use compatibility planning, the county aims to keep new noise-sensitive uses (such as homes, schools, and hospitals) out of the highest aircraft-noise areas.

In California airport-compatibility practice, the 60 dB CNEL noise contour is the standard threshold used to define where residential and other sensitive development is discouraged or requires noise mitigation. This is a planning/development-review function carried out through Sutter County Development Services and applicable airport land-use compatibility policies, it controls where and how new construction may occur near the airport, not the flights overhead. Because the county has not adopted a general noise ordinance, there is no county code section a resident can use to cite an individual aircraft for being too loud; complaints about specific flight operations are generally directed to the airport or the FAA.