Shasta County, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Under the Federal Aviation Act and Airline Deregulation Act, regulation of aircraft in flight - including noise abatement procedures for individual aircraft - is preempted from local control except for an airport proprietor's own noise rules. Shasta County itself does not own commercial airports (Redding Regional Airport and Benton Airpark are owned by the City of Redding), so the county cannot impose direct aircraft-noise restrictions. Instead, Shasta County uses its Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) and Airport Land Use Board of Administrative Review (ALUBAR), staffed by the Planning Division, to administer Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) for area airports. The Redding Municipal Airport (Redding Regional Airport) CLUP and the Westside Area Plan and Benton Airpark Comprehensive Land Use Plan set noise contours and review new land-use proposals around the airports for compatibility. The General Plan Noise Element treats aircraft in flight as a 'transportation noise source' under Table 5.11-7 (Transportation Noise Related Land Use Compatibility Guidelines), which sets exterior noise level compatibility tiers using Ldn/CNEL up to 65 dB. New noise-sensitive uses proposed within higher contours must demonstrate available exterior noise-level reduction measures and interior compliance.