Sahuarita, AZ Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

57 of the Sahuarita Town Code, Airport Environs and Facilities, governs private airports, general aviation airstrips, and ultralight facilities within the town, and it builds its noise protections around a defined term. 020(A) defines a 'noise-sensitive land use' as an activity or use of property acutely sensitive to aircraft noise generation, expressly naming site-built residential uses, educational, cultural, and religious facilities, health services, tourist lodging services, outdoor recreational or entertainment facilities, theaters, offices, research laboratories, and government-designated wilderness areas or monuments; the definition also reaches an unconstructed version of any of those uses once it has an approved subdivision plat, development plan, or building permit.

That definition matters because it triggers real controls when a private airport comes forward. 030(B), a private airport requires a Type 3 conditional use permit with a notification area that must additionally cover the approach-departure corridors, and the application must describe the type, weight, and decibel levels of aircraft using the site along with proposed hours of operation and an estimate of flight frequency. 030(B)(3)(e) gives the town council authority to restrict the number of flights and hours of operation due to the proximity and intensity of noise-sensitive land uses, meaning the council can tighten an airport's schedule specifically to protect nearby homes, schools, or hospitals rather than just capping decibels at the property line.