TagNoise Monitors(48)

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Noise Working Group met on February 10, 2025, to review ongoing noise management initiatives, including quarterly updates to the Late Night Noise Limitation Program, which voluntarily monitors takeoff and landing noise levels between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The program tracks noise exceedances against established decibel thresholds at four runway monitor locations and contacts airlines when those thresholds are exceeded. The meeting also covered late-night runway usage trends for 2025, aircraft go-around activity for December and January, and a summary of public noise complaints received in December.

This 2022 FAA guidance letter explains how airports can legally spend airport revenue on noise insulation projects, such as new windows, doors, and air conditioning, for homes and schools located within the DNL 65 dBA noise contour — the federal threshold for significant aircraft noise impact. Spending airport revenue on noise insulation for properties outside that noise boundary is generally prohibited as revenue diversion, unless a lower local noise standard has been officially adopted or 'block rounding' has been approved. The letter also clarifies that airports may purchase mobile or permanent noise monitoring equipment using airport revenue, provided certain conditions are met, but monitors cannot be used to enforce noise abatement flight procedures.

The Highline Forum held a virtual meeting on July 21, 2021, hosted by Highline College, covering updates on 2021 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) flight activity, temporary noise monitor installations, and federal aviation policy. The meeting, conducted via Microsoft Teams, featured presentations by Port of Seattle staff and Aviation Director Lance Lyttle, with public comments accepted by email or live video link. The document also lists all six Highline Forum meeting dates for 2021, with hosts rotating among local entities including the cities of Burien, Federal Way, Tukwila, and SeaTac.

This document from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport explains what 'raw' noise data is, how it is collected and processed, and how the public can request it. The unfiltered, one-second decibel readings captured by the Port's noise monitors are not matched to specific aircraft and must be viewed with specialized Larson Davis software; a vendor processes the data using algorithms to produce standard aviation noise metrics. Residents can request raw data through the Washington State Public Records Act portal, though the Port disclaims any liability for how the data is used and notes it cannot be directly compared to the FAA-required DNL noise contour values used for sound insulation eligibility.

The Highline Forum held its September 23, 2020 meeting virtually via Microsoft Teams, hosted by the Port of Seattle, covering key topics including the PSRC Aviation Baseline Study, temporary noise monitor updates, and a StART (Sea-Tac Airport Roundtable) program update. Due to the Governor's Stay-at-Home Order, members of the public could submit comments by email or join the MS Teams session by registering in advance. The meeting was part of a series of 2020 forums addressing aviation noise policy and community impact around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.