Westminster, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Aircraft noise is one area where the City of Westminster's noise ordinance does not control, by design and by law. WMC Section 8.28.060(J) exempts from the chapter any activity for which noise control is preempted by state or federal law. Aircraft operations and aviation noise are subject to exclusive federal authority under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates aircraft noise emissions, flight paths, and altitudes; local governments generally cannot impose their own in-flight noise limits or curfews on aircraft. The FAA notes it does not have authority to prohibit aircraft overflights of a particular area unless an operation is unsafe or inconsistent with Federal Aviation Regulations, and it sets aircraft and helicopter noise standards (such as Stage 3) at the federal level. As a result, residents in Westminster experiencing jet or helicopter overflight noise should file complaints through the FAA's noise complaint and inquiry process rather than with city code enforcement, which lacks jurisdiction over aircraft in flight. The city's dB(A) standards in WMC 8.28.040/8.28.050 continue to apply to ground-based noise sources (vehicles on the ground, equipment, music, animals), but not to aircraft operations themselves. This federal-preemption posture is the same across California cities; it is not unique to Westminster, though Westminster's ordinance makes the carve-out explicit through its preemption exemption.