Santa Cruz County, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft operations and in-flight noise are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which preempts local noise control. The County General Plan states flight paths 'are determined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)' and uses California's CNEL descriptor for land-use compatibility; the state residential compatibility criterion is 65 dB CNEL. The County itself has no commercial airport in its unincorporated area, and the only general-aviation airport, Watsonville Municipal Airport, sits within the City of Watsonville at the boundary of the unincorporated area; the 65 CNEL contour is mostly within airport property but encroaches into some residential areas north and west. Because the County cannot regulate aircraft directly, its General Plan policies (Objective 9.5, Aircraft Noise) focus on land use: it discourages new residential and noise-sensitive development where existing or future aircraft noise exceeds 65 CNEL/Ldn, and requires development proposed within the 60 CNEL/Ldn contour to mitigate interior noise to 45 CNEL/Ldn or less and limit the maximum noise from a single overflight to 50 dB or less. Aircraft from airports in other counties also overfly Santa Cruz County, but at residential receptors those levels are below the state 65 dB CNEL standard. Detailed airport land-use compatibility policies are in the General Plan Land Use Element, Section 2.25.