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Ascension Parish, LA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Few Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
Ascension Parish Code § 14-44(b)
Exception adopted
Ord. of 6-7-2012
Applies to
unincorporated parish only
Aircraft noise status
exempt from noise limits
General residential limit
75 db(A) day / 70 db(A) night

Summary

Ascension Parish's noise ordinance sets decibel limits for sound in residential districts, but Section 14-44(b) expressly exempts "air traffic at airports" from every prohibition in the article. Aircraft operating over or near unincorporated Ascension Parish face no local decibel cap, curfew or enforcement action under this chapter.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Ascension Parish. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(b)Noises from authorized activities. The prohibitions of this article shall not apply to air traffic at airports, parades, cultural events, athletic games, state or county fairs, or functions conducted pursuant to a permit specifically approved by the Parish of Ascension or other appropriate governmental agency.

Full Breakdown

of 6-7-2012, codified as Chapter 14, Article III of the Ascension Parish Code of Ordinances. , measured at a property line in a residential district or on an adjoining street within the unincorporated parish. Section 14-44 then lists nine categories of noise the article does not reach, and subsection (b) names "air traffic at airports" alongside parades, cultural events, athletic games and state or county fairs. That means the parish's own decibel ceiling simply does not apply to aircraft engine noise, whether from a private strip or a commercial facility, anywhere in unincorporated Ascension Parish.

The code also makes clear that holding a parish business license is not, by itself, authorization under this exception; the airport-noise carve-out stands on its own. Enforcement of the noise article generally runs through the sheriff's office and administrative adjudication under Article VIII (Sec. 14-47), but that process has no application to aircraft because the underlying prohibition never attaches. Residents near a landing strip who want relief have to look to Federal Aviation Administration noise-abatement channels or state law, not the parish ordinance.

Violations & Fines

There is no parish penalty for aircraft noise: Section 14-44(b) removes air traffic at airports from the article's coverage entirely, so the misdemeanor penalties that attach to other noise violations under Sec. 14-47's administrative adjudication process never trigger for engine or overflight noise. Other exempted sources, sirens, horns, church bells and burglar alarms under fifteen minutes, get the same pass; everything else above 75/70 db(A) can still draw a citation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I file a noise complaint against a nearby airport in Ascension Parish?
Not under the parish noise ordinance. Section 14-44(b) exempts "air traffic at airports" from every restriction in Chapter 14, Article III, so the sheriff's office has no local decibel standard to enforce against aircraft. Complaints about airport operations go through the FAA or the airport's own noise-abatement program instead.
What noise limit applies elsewhere in unincorporated Ascension Parish?
Section 14-43 caps sound at 75 db(A) from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 70 db(A) overnight, measured at the property line in a residential district. That standard covers radios, sound systems and similar devices, but Section 14-44 exempts air traffic, sirens, parades and several other categories.
Does the airport-noise exemption cover incorporated cities like Gonzales?
No. This exemption is part of the parish's own noise ordinance, which by its terms governs only the unincorporated area. Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Sorrento each enforce their own municipal noise ordinances within their city limits, separate from the parish code.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Ascension Parish

All Ascension Parish rules

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