Worcester County, MD Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval required
- Special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals
- Noise submission
- Noise level contours for the loudest expected aircraft
- Agency consulted on noise
- State Department of Transportation
- Follow-up review
- Planning Commission site plan under § ZS 1-325
- Agricultural strip exclusion
- Not more than seven consecutive calendar days
- Site plan scope
- Structures and uses within 500 feet of the property line
Summary
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, a private airfield or heliport needs a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals under § ZS 1-345, and the application must include noise level contours for the loudest aircraft expected to use it. The Board consults the State Department of Transportation on noise regulations and sets buffers and setbacks.
(b) Required information. The developer shall be required to submit the following information to the Board of Zoning Appeals as part of the application for a special exception: ... (3) An operations and safety plan showing graphically the airspace operational patterns for use of the facility, noise level contours for the loudest aircraft expected to use the facility and a list of the safety measures that will be taken to protect the general health, safety and welfare of the public. (c) Standards. In reviewing the application, the Board of Zoning Appeals shall consult with the State Department of Transportation concerning applicable state safety and noise regulations and with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The Board shall specify such buffer zones and setbacks as the State Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration shall suggest are appropriate to protect the public health, safety and general welfare.
Full Breakdown
Section ZS 1-345 is the airfield and heliport provision of the Worcester County zoning code, and it handles aircraft noise through land-use review of private landing areas in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland. It defines an airfield as any area for the landing and takeoff of fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft, and a heliport as any area for helicopters only. Two things fall outside the airfield definition: any County or municipal airport, and a landing strip used for not more than seven consecutive calendar days solely for field seeding, spraying, dusting or similar agricultural activity, which cannot be located within five hundred feet of any dwelling.
An airfield or heliport proceeds by special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals. The developer submits three items with the application: a statement of purpose, including the expected type of aircraft and frequency of use, services offered, and the instrumentation, lighting and communications to be provided; a conceptual site plan covering runways, taxiways, aircraft parking areas, hangars, entrances, landscaping and buffering, and the structures and uses within five hundred feet of the property line; and an operations and safety plan showing the airspace operational patterns and the noise level contours for the loudest aircraft expected to use the facility, along with the safety measures to protect public health, safety and welfare.
In reviewing the application, the Board consults the State Department of Transportation concerning applicable state safety and noise regulations and consults Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The Board then specifies the buffer zones and setbacks that the State Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration suggest are appropriate. After the special exception is approved, the Planning Commission reviews the airfield or heliport site plan under § ZS 1-325. This section prints no decibel figure of its own; the district decibel limits sit in the separate § ZS 1-346.
Violations & Fines
Operating an airfield or heliport without the special exception, or outside the conditions the Board of Zoning Appeals sets, violates the Zoning Title. Unless the Article specifies otherwise, that is a civil infraction under § ZS 1-120(b)(1), and the County can withhold a permit or revoke an issued permit, special exception, variance or approval. A civil infraction fine cannot exceed $500, or $1,000 for a repeat offense, under § GP 5-102(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
What noise information does an airfield application need?
Who sets buffers around a private airfield in unincorporated Worcester County?
Does an agricultural landing strip need this approval?
Where are the numeric decibel limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Worcester County
Compare Worcester County to another location·View the Maryland noise ordinances overview
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