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Noise pollution maps — airports, highways, freight rail by address

Noise pollution is invisible on a typical home tour but it's the #1 post-move-in regret in surveys of recent buyers. Federal datasets exist for highway, aviation, and rail noise — most buyers never see them.

Published 2026-04-25 · Last reviewed 2026-07-03 · methodology

DOT National Transportation Noise Map

Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes a nationwide map at maps.dot.gov/BTS/NationalTransportationNoiseMap/.

Combines highway + rail + aviation noise into a 0-90+ dB color-coded map.

Updated annually. Sources: USDOT FHWA, FRA, FAA models.

Color thresholds: <50 dB residential-acceptable, 50-60 dB suburban-typical, 65-75 dB high (highway-adjacent), 75+ dB unacceptable for residential.

Airport noise — FAA Noise Exposure Maps

Every Part 150 airport publishes Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) showing 65 dB DNL contour (Day-Night Average Sound Level).

Properties INSIDE the 65 dB contour are formally 'noise-impacted' under FAA rules.

DNL averaging includes 10 dB nighttime penalty (10pm-7am noise weighted higher).

Resale impact: properties inside 65 dB contour sell 8-15% below comparable properties outside.

Rail noise — freight especially

FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) publishes noise contours along major freight + passenger rail.

Freight rail can be 80-90 dB at trackside; horns at crossings 95-110 dB.

'Quiet zones' (no horns at crossings) reduce horn noise but increase risk; cities establish per FRA rules.

Distance matters: noise drops ~6 dB per doubling of distance from rail.

Highway noise patterns

Interstates: 70-80 dB at 100 ft from roadway; drops to 60-65 dB at 500 ft.

Trucks dominate (5-10x cars). Truck-heavy corridors (I-5 California, I-80 Pennsylvania) noisier than commuter routes.

Sound walls reduce noise 5-10 dB on residential side. Properties behind sound wall vs unprotected = $20-50k value diff.

The 4-tool verification stack

1. **DOT National Transportation Noise Map** — overall picture in <2 min.

2. **FAA airport-specific NEM** — search 'FAA Noise Exposure Map [airport-code]'.

3. **Visit at peak noise hours** — morning rush, evening rush, train horn schedule (FRA crossing data).

4. **Smartphone dB meter app** — Decibel X, NIOSH Sound Level Meter — measure actual dB at property.

What zipradar shows

Noise is NOT in our 12-dimension federation. maps.dot.gov is the canonical source — linked from /methodology/.

Pair noise check with school district + air quality + flood for the full 'liveability' pre-purchase pass.