Sammamish, WA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft noise is one area where local governments, including Sammamish, have essentially no regulatory power. Aircraft operations in flight, airport curfews, and flight-frequency or aircraft-type restrictions are preempted by federal law - the Federal Aviation Administration's regulatory authority and the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990. Courts have consistently held that cities cannot impose curfews or operational noise limits on aircraft or airports, which is why neighboring jurisdictions affected by regional air traffic cannot dictate the types of planes that fly overhead or restrict their hours. Sammamish's noise ordinance itself reflects this division of authority: SMC 8.15.020.A, which makes engine noise from "starting, operation, repair, rebuilding or testing" of motor vehicles and internal combustion engines a public nuisance, expressly provides that "this subsection shall not apply to airplanes and boats." Residents bothered by overflights generally must work through the relevant airport's voluntary noise programs or the FAA rather than city code. The narrow exception to federal preemption is ground-based airport noise (such as maintenance engine run-ups or ground support equipment), which can remain within local authority, but Sammamish has no airport and does not regulate this. Aircraft noise complaints are therefore directed to the FAA or the operating airport, not the City of Sammamish or the King County Sheriff.