Whittier, CA Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)

Whittier's Municipal Code does not set aircraft-noise standards because federal law occupies the field. Under the Supremacy Clause and the federal aviation framework, the FAA controls aircraft in flight and sets aircraft noise standards 'at the source,' and state and local governments generally cannot regulate aircraft operations, flight paths, schedules, or in-flight noise. Whittier's own code reflects this: WMC 8.32.080(J) exempts from the noise chapter 'any other activity to the extent regulation thereof has been preempted by state or federal law.' Consequently, there is no City of Whittier ordinance setting a decibel limit or curfew on aircraft overflights. Whittier lies in the Los Angeles basin under flight corridors associated with regional airports, and noise concerns are addressed through the airport proprietor and FAA processes rather than the city's noise chapter - a narrow 'airport proprietor' exception lets an airport operator adopt certain noise-abatement measures, but that authority belongs to the airport, not to a neighboring city like Whittier. Residents bothered by aircraft noise should direct complaints to the relevant airport's noise office and the FAA. The city's noise ordinance still governs ground-based sources (vehicles, construction, parties, equipment) within Whittier's incorporated boundaries.