South Dakota state law: aircraft and drone noise

Manned aircraft noise in South Dakota is governed by federal law: the FAA's exclusive sovereignty over navigable airspace under 49 USC Section 40103 preempts state and local noise regulation of aircraft in flight. SDCL Title 50 (Aeronautics) addresses airport zoning, aircraft registration, and pilot licensing, but does not set noise standards for aircraft overflight. For unmanned aircraft systems (drones), SDCL Chapter 50-13 imposes limited state rules - principally SDCL 50-13-15.2 (requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using a drone for surveillance) and other narrow law-enforcement provisions. South Dakota has NOT enacted broad preemption of municipal drone regulation. Cities and counties retain authority under SDCL 9-29-1 (general welfare) to regulate drone takeoff and landing on municipal property (parks, plazas, stadiums), overflight of public events under city control, and reckless or harassing drone operation. FAA Part 107 (commercial drone operation) and Part 101 (recreational operation) preempt local rules on actual flight operations (altitude, speed, no-fly zones).

FAA enforcement for aircraft noise complaints (administrative civil penalties up to thousands of dollars under 49 USC Section 46301). Violation of SDCL 50-13 drone warrant requirements is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Local drone ordinances typically impose civil fines of $100 to $500 per occurrence.