O'Fallon, MO Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 215.237(M)(7)
- Effect
- Aircraft noise fully exempt from ordinance
- Condition
- Operation must be normal and legal
- Measurement rule
- Overflights paused during dB averaging
- Real regulator
- FAA, not the City
Summary
O'Fallon's noise ordinance does not regulate aircraft: § 215.237(M)(7) expressly exempts 'all noises coming from the normal and legal operations of properly equipped aircraft' from the chapter's decibel limits and disturbance standards.
All noises coming from the normal and legal operations of properly equipped aircraft.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4860992; v58 updated 2026-05-14; through 05-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
, and properly operated trains. 237(K) reinforce this: when a fifteen-minute Leq measurement is interrupted by a transient event such as an aircraft overflight, the averaging period is paused and restarted once the transient sound drops ten dBA below the source being measured, rather than counting the overflight against the property being measured. Aircraft operations in and around O'Fallon (including traffic tied to nearby regional airport facilities) are instead governed by Federal Aviation Administration rules, which preempt local noise regulation of flight operations; the City's code does not attempt to set its own decibel ceiling, curfew or flight-path restriction for aircraft.
This makes the aircraft carve-out a genuine local negative: O'Fallon considered aircraft noise when drafting its noise chapter and chose to exclude it rather than silently omit the topic.
Violations & Fines
Because aircraft noise is expressly exempted, there is no local citation, fine or hearing process that applies to it under § 215.237. A resident cannot use the City's noise-complaint and hearing procedure in § 215.237(Q)-(S) against aircraft operations; recourse for aircraft noise runs through FAA channels rather than O'Fallon Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a noise complaint against low-flying aircraft in O'Fallon?
Why does O'Fallon's sound-measurement rule mention aircraft overflights?
Does O'Fallon set its own aircraft noise curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in O'Fallon
Compare O'Fallon to another location·View the Missouri noise ordinances overview
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