Sonoma, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

The City of Sonoma has no decibel-based aircraft overflight ordinance; federal law preempts local regulation of flight noise in the air. 69, Launching and Landing Aircraft at Places Other Than Airports, is where an aircraft may touch down or take off within its limits. 010 declares that launching, take-off, or landing of any airplane, helicopter, balloon, rocket, or similar device anywhere within the city not zoned or specifically set apart as an airport or landing pad is both a safety hazard and an annoyance to people living, working, and traveling in the city; the chapter expressly excludes toys and model aircraft not designed to carry people or cargo.

020 makes it unlawful to land such a craft anywhere in the city not specifically designated by governmental authority as an airport, heliport, or landing pad, with a narrow exception for emergency landings to preserve life or property. 030 separately bars intentional parachute landings within city limits except in an emergency, in a specifically designated place, or under a special permit. The chapter dates to Ordinance 81-2, adopted in 1981, and remains in force through the current Ordinance 13-2025 codification. Because it targets ground-based launch and landing sites rather than overflight, it sidesteps the federal preemption that would otherwise block a city from regulating aircraft noise in the air.