Mesa County, CO Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

D of the Land Development Code creates the Airport Environs Overlay District to protect public health and safety in noise-sensitive and airport-hazard areas and to keep airports compatible with surrounding land use. It divides the area into four subdistricts based on noise and hazard exposure: Subdistrict A is the general area of influence; Subdistrict B is the Noise Zone, covering the 65 to 70 Ldn noise-exposure contour from the Airport Master Plan; Subdistrict C is the Critical Zone, a rectangle off the runway end starting 200 feet from the pavement; and Subdistrict D is the Clear Zone, a triangular area kept free of above-ground obstructions.

8 sets requirements by subdistrict: residential density above one unit per five acres is barred outright (N) in Subdistricts B, C and D, while lower-density residential in the noise zones requires a Conditional Use Permit and a 30 dB Noise Level Reduction (C30) built into construction; hotels, schools, hospitals, churches and auditoriums need a 25 dB reduction (C25) in Subdistrict B and are banned in C and D. ' Any new development within the overlay must also carry a recorded noise-disclosure notice on the final plat, warning that 'aircraft noise levels [are] high enough to annoy users of the property,' with an added warning about accident risk if the parcel also sits in the Critical Zone.

Height is separately restricted: nothing, including trees, may be erected or allowed to grow so that it enters the runway approach zones defined in FAR Part 77, and new development must dedicate an avigation easement to the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority. Uses existing as of May 1, 2000 are exempt from these overlay standards.