1. AIRPORT COMPATIBLE LAND USE POLICY: To ensure that county land near airports, particularly land lying within future clear zones, will be reserved for only those uses deemed to be compatible with the high noise levels associated with an airport. Such uses might include open space, agriculture, cemetery, golf course or appropriate industrial uses.

2. AIRPORT NOISE POLICY: To work with the City of Hollister to establish flight patterns which minimize noise impacts on existing and anticipated residential and commercial areas.

3. AIRPORT LAND USE COMMISSION POLICY: To encourage the establishment of an Airport Land Use Commission and to encourage the adoption of a noise abatement program by the Airport Commission consistent with FFA standards and California Noise Regulation for Airports.

4. NOISE SENSITIVE AREAS POLICY: To route heavily traveled transportation routes to ensure minimum noise encroachment upon residential and other noise sensitive uses.

5. NEW DEVELOPMENT NOISE LEVELS POLICY: To require the installation of noise attenuation features when new residential developments are located adjacent to freeways, highways, arterials, railroad rights of way, and other nose generating uses.

6. NEW ROADWAY NOISE LEVELS POLICY: To encourage county Road Department and California Department of Transportation to utilize noise attenuation features in the design of new county roadways.

7. OFF ROAD VEHICLE LIMITS POLICY: To limit the use of off road recreational motor vehicles to those areas specifically designated for that purpose (i.e., Clear Creek and Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area) and to maintain land surrounding those areas in open space and agricultural use as a means of providing a noise buffer zone.

8. NOISE EMISSION REGULATIONS POLICY: That as a part of the noise ordinance, noise emission regulations will be established which specifically apply to off road recreational vehicles.

9. RAILROAD NOISE POLICY: To provide for non-nose sensitive land uses in areas near railroads and encourage compliance with Federal Rail Noise Standards by interstate rail carriers.

10.  TRUCK NOISE POLICY: To keep the number of truck routes in the county at a minimum and locate said routes in such a manner as to avoid impacts on those areas identified as noise sensitive.  Wherever possible, trucks should be routed onto freeways and non-residential arterials, even where such routing is not the shortest distance between points.

11. VEHICLE NOISE POLICY: To provide for the enforcement of existing statewide vehicle noise regulations by local authorities, specifically those sections of the California Vehicle Code which pertains to illegal or faulty exhaust systems, speed laws and operation of vehicles in such a manner as to produce excessive noise.

12. COUNTY VEHICLE POLICY: The County vehicles and equipment should be maintained in such condition so as to ensure minimum noise emissions.

13. HEALTH AND NOISE COMPATIBILITY: That the State Department of Health and Noise Compatibility Standards will be adhered to by County Planning staff and officials in reviewing applications for proposed industrial developments and in monitoring noise levels from existing industrial developments.

14. INDUSTRIAL NOISE POLICY: That new industrial developments shall not be permitted in areas designated as noise sensitive unless it can be demonstrated that they will not result in an appreciable increase in the ambient noise levels.

15. COUNTY NOISE ORDINANCE POLICY: That the County will encourage provision of a one-year grace period in the County Noise Ordinance to allow existing industries time to prepare noise abatement plans in order to comply with the Noise Ordinance.

16. INDUSTRIAL NOISE STANDARDS POLICY: The ordinance will include requirements for the preparation of noise abatement plans for existing and future industrial projects.  Building Code noise insulation requirements for industrial buildings should reflect current state standards.  The County Zoning Ordinance will be amended to include industrial noise standards which reflect current state standards.

17. CONSTRUCTION RELATED NOISE POLICY: It will be the County’s continuing policy to control the operation of construction equipment at specific sound intensities and frequencies during specified hours.

18. HIGH NOISE EMISSION POLICY: The County will encourage the use of barriers or enclosures for equipment having high noise emission.

19. COUNTY EQUIPMENT POLICY: The County will encourage use of the Environmental Protection Agency Equipment Noise Standards as specifications for the modification of old County equipment and the purchase of new equipment.