Tallahassee, FL Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- District
- OA-1 Airport Vicinity District
- Noise threshold
- 65 DNL or above
- Residential uses
- precluded outright
- Height/interference rule
- FAR Part 77 compliance required
- Max floor area
- 20,000 sq ft per acre
- Penalty
- up to $500 fine or 60 days (LDC § 1-7)
Summary
In Tallahassee's OA-1 Airport Vicinity District, LDC § 10-254 flatly precludes residential and other noise-sensitive uses on parcels beneath aircraft noise contours reaching 65 DNL or above off the runway ends of Tallahassee Regional Airport, steering that land instead toward office, lab, and limited commercial uses.
The OA-1 District is intended to be located in the vicinity of and particularly off the ends of the runways at Tallahassee Regional Airport which are subject to day/night sound levels (DNL) that exceed the threshold identified by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the state as being compatible with certain land use types... The district provides for compatible planned office development and high technology and research and development activities as well as a limited number of activities that support the principal uses within areas subject to levels of aircraft noise of 65 DNL or above. This district is not intended to accommodate industrial activities. Residential uses are precluded in this district as are noise sensitive institutional and other noise sensitive land uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
LDC § 10-254 creates the OA-1 Airport Vicinity District specifically "for parcels lying beneath the identified noise contours" near the Tallahassee Regional Airport runways, where sound levels exceed the compatibility threshold set by the FAA and the state. " Industrial activities are also excluded. In place of housing, OA-1 permits banks, cemeteries, community facilities under section 10-413, golf courses, enclosed laboratories, mailing services, medical and dental offices and clinics, non-medical offices, research and development activities with no on-site disposal, restaurants without drive-in facilities inside an office building, a retail drug store, and warehouses, mini-warehouses or self-storage facilities.
Every building, use, and accessory facility in the district must comply with FAA height, glare, and electronic-interference criteria under FAR Part 77, and the FAA, the State of Florida, or the Airport Director may impose stricter criteria than Part 77 requires. 5-foot interior side setback (15 feet if adjoining a low-density residential district), a 25-foot side-corner setback, a 10-foot rear setback, a maximum floor area of 20,000 square feet per acre, and a three-story height cap. This is a distinct city zoning tool from Leon County's separate airport-vicinity regulations that apply outside city limits around the same airport.
Violations & Fines
Building a residence or another noise-sensitive use in the OA-1 district without a rezoning, or a structure that fails the FAR Part 77 height and interference standards, is a Land Development Code violation. LDC § 1-7 punishes such violations with a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 60 days, or both, with each day a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a house in Tallahassee's OA-1 Airport Vicinity District?
What can be built in the OA-1 airport noise district instead?
Does the airport noise district affect building height?
What's the penalty for violating the OA-1 use restrictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tallahassee to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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