Santa Barbara County does not regulate aircraft in flight: all in-flight aircraft are under exclusive Federal Aviation Administration jurisdiction. Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) operates a voluntary noise abatement and complaint program with a 24-hour hotline.
Federal preemption under 49 U.S.C. § 40103 and longstanding Supreme Court precedent (City of Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal, 411 U.S. 624 (1973)) places exclusive control of aircraft in flight, including their flight paths, altitudes, and noise emissions, with the FAA. Santa Barbara County therefore has no enforceable countywide ordinance that limits aircraft noise over unincorporated areas. The Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA, owned by the City of Santa Barbara but routinely impacting unincorporated Goleta-area residents) operates a voluntary Aircraft Noise Advisory Program. Pilots are encouraged, but not required, to follow voluntary noise abatement flight tracks that minimize overflight of residential areas. Residents may file aircraft-noise complaints via the SBA PublicVue online tool or by calling the Automated Noise Advisory Hotline at (805) 967-1900; the airport publishes monthly noise reports. The Santa Ynez Airport (operated by the Santa Ynez Airport District) also handles its own noise complaints. State-law nuisance (Cal. Civ. Code § 3479) is generally preempted as applied to in-flight aircraft.
Because in-flight aircraft are FAA-preempted, the County cannot issue citations for aircraft noise. Complaints feed into the airport's voluntary abatement reporting and may inform future FAA Part 150 noise studies, but they do not carry direct legal penalties against pilots or operators.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Barbara County, CA
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Santa Barbara County, CA
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Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County Code § 12A-24 makes it unlawful to stop, stand, or park any vehicle between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. in any off-street parking area owne...
Santa Barbara County, CA
The Board of Supervisors may by resolution designate portions of any county highway as no-parking zones, tow-away zones, time-limited zones, or angle parking...
Santa Barbara County, CA
In the Isla Vista permit-parking area, parking permits cannot be issued for recreational motor homes, RVs, vehicles over 3/4-ton capacity, or vehicles taller...
Santa Barbara County, CA
A fence in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is exempt from a Planning Permit if it is 6 ft or less in a front setback (or within 20 ft of a street ROW) or...
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