Sioux Falls, SD Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Section 160.418 of the Sioux Falls Code of Ordinances creates the airport influence overlay district. The code defines the district by impact: it is composed of lands located within an area affected by noise or safety hazards associated with aircraft operations at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. The overlay covers the approach, transition, conical and noise-exposure zones around the airport.

What the overlay requires depends on what is being built. For any school, hospital, or place of worship, the requirement is mandatory and it attaches to the zoning permit. The property owner "shall provide" Noise Level Reduction (NLR) of at least ten dbl over standard construction practices. The code's own parenthetical describes the result as reducing sound to 55 dbl to 45 dbl. In plain terms, the building has to block at least 10 dbl more outside noise than ordinary construction would. Because the figure is written as "at least," it is a floor, and an owner may build for more reduction.

Residential zoning permits are handled differently. They require an avigation easement, which acknowledges aircraft noise and vibration over the property. Noise Level Reduction is recommended for the benefit of future residents, but for homes it is a recommendation and not the mandate that applies to schools, hospitals and places of worship.

Commercial and industrial permits carry a documentation condition: written proof from the Airport Authority that the occupancy meets FAA rules.

Nothing in the section caps the sound of the aircraft themselves. Sioux Falls regulates the buildings and land uses around its airport, and the burden falls on the property owner seeking the permit.