Silencing the skies: FAA paying LAX neighbors to soundproof homes

Relief could be coming to homeowners with the noisiest neighbor in town: Los Angeles International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration allocated $20.5 million in grants to soundproof homes in communities near the busy airport, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Eligibility is based on an FAA-approved noise map. Non-soundproofed homes that are up to code and experience an average annual noise level of 65 decibels or higher can receive funding, according to the report.

Property owners can each receive around $40,000 in upgrades through the program.

Funding includes $6 million each for homeowners in L.A. and El Segundo, $5 million for those in Inglewood and $9 million for residents in unincorporated communities. The money can be spent on soundproof windows and doors along with air-conditioning systems.

A similar federal program ran from 1997 to 2014 and 89 percent of eligible owners received upgrades.

The federal government and LAX’s operator, L.A. World Airports, over the years have granted Inglewood roughly $400 million to soundproof homes near the airport. The city has been criticized for allocating more money for wealthier neighborhoods for soundproofing over neighborhoods closer to the airport.

Inglewood officials have attributed that to rental property landlords near the airport who don’t keep their complexes up to code, disqualifying them from the funding. Officials have also cited challenges presented by zoning.

[LAT] — Dennis Lynch