Sedona, AZ Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Sedona's noise chapter, SCC 8.25, sets numeric decibel limits by zone and time of day under SCC 8.25.030(C) and backs them with civil penalties up to $2,500 per day under SCC 8.25.070. But before any of that applies, SCC 8.25.030(A) lists categories of noise the city has chosen not to regulate under this chapter at all, and item 8 on that list is simply "Noises created by aircraft." The exemption sits alongside 13 others, including air-conditioning and pool equipment, church chimes, emergency work, city or state road work performed at night, and permitted fireworks, so aircraft noise is treated the same as those routine, largely unavoidable sources rather than as something a resident can force the city to cite.

The exemption clause also notes that exempt activities "may be subject to other city regulations, including but not limited to the regulations in the Land Development Code," meaning a ground-based use tied to aviation, like an accessory structure or a business operation, could still be reached by the Land Development Code even though the noise itself cannot be cited under Chapter 8.25. Because the exemption is written into the noise chapter itself rather than left to be inferred, code enforcement officers and the police department, who otherwise enforce this chapter under SCC 8.25.070(C), have no basis to measure or cite aircraft for exceeding the residential, commercial or industrial noise standards. Airport traffic patterns, tour helicopters and general aviation into Sedona Airport therefore sit outside the municipal noise scheme.