Aircraft noise over Shelby County, including Memphis International Airport, is regulated by the FAA under federal law, not the county noise ordinance. Chapter 16, Article III governs ground noise only.
Memphis International Airport, a major FedEx hub, sits in Shelby County, but airspace and aircraft operations are federally preempted. Under the Federal Aviation Act and FAA regulations, the FAA controls aircraft noise, flight paths and operating hours; local governments generally cannot set their own in-flight aircraft noise limits. Shelby County's noise ordinance (Chapter 16, Article III) addresses ground-level noise and expressly targets vehicles, animals and amplified sound, not aircraft in flight. Residents with aircraft-noise concerns pursue them through the FAA and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority noise program rather than county code enforcement.
The county noise ordinance does not penalize aircraft in flight; aircraft-noise complaints are handled by the FAA and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, not by Sec. 16-67 county fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed in Shelby County and has no dedicated permit, but compost and organic material must be managed so it does not become harmful v...
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Shelby County has no ordinance banning or specially permitting artificial turf. Synthetic turf is not counted as living landscaping under the Unified Develop...
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The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code favors native landscaping, directing that trees and shrubs be predominately hardy Tennessee native spe...
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Shelby County has no ordinance prohibiting or specially licensing residential rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are generally allowed, and Tenn...
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Shelby County has no mandatory outdoor watering schedule. Water is supplied by Memphis Light, Gas and Water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer, and MLGW promotes ...
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The Code of Shelby County authorizes the county to compel owners of unincorporated property to cut rank weeds, grasses, and underbrush deemed a health or tra...
See how Shelby County's aircraft noise rules stack up against other locations.
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