Airport Influence Areas for Public Use Airports

State law requires sellers of real property to disclose "any fact materially affecting the value and desirability of the property". Assembly Bill 2776, which went into effect January 1, 2004, requires such disclosure when the property is either within two miles of an airport or if it is within an "airport influence area". The disclosure notice must state that the property may be subject to noise, vibration, odors or other annoyances or inconveniences "associated with proximity to airport operations".

This law defines the "airport influence area" as the area where airport-related factors "may significantly affect land uses or necessitate restrictions on those uses as determined by an airport land use commission". The California Public Utilities Code establishes airport land use commissions in every county to provide for the orderly development of air transportation and ensure compatible land uses around airports which are open to public use. According to the State Division of Aeronautics, the "airport influence area" is usually the planning area designated by an airport land use commission for each airport.

In January 2001, the Sonoma County Airport Land Use Commission adopted the "Comprehensive Airport Land Use Plan for Sonoma County" (CALUP) which sets forth the "referral area boundaries" around each airport and the limits on land use, building height and population density in those areas. For the Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sonoma Valley, and Sonoma Skypark airports, the Commission has determined that the CALUP referral area boundaries represent the "airport influence areas".

For the Charles B. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, the Commission has determined that the "airport influence area" is larger than the CALUP referral area boundary and should include all surrounding areas where CALUP height limits are in effect and where airplanes using the instrument approach pattern would be expected to be lower than 1,000' above ground level, the minimum flight elevation permitted above a populated area. The "Airspace Obstruction Height Limits" extend out 14,000 feet (2.65 miles) in all directions from the main runway and 9.5 miles to the southeast of the runway end in a wide area on either side of the "Instrument Approach Path". Jets or large planes at elevations below 1,000 feet above ground level would be most likely in these areas.