Committee hears bill to standardize airport zoning and protect airspace under 500 feet
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Representative Fowler Arthur presented the Aerospace Protection Act (HB 333) to create a more uniform process for evaluating obstructions beneath the FAA's 500-foot threshold, direct ODOT to use standardized forms, and strengthen local airport zoning protections; the item was held as a first hearing for further revision.
Representative Fowler Arthur told the Ohio House Transportation Committee on Feb. 17 that House Bill 333, the Aerospace Protection Act, would help prevent small airports from losing service because of nearby obstructions.
"If that silo was over a few more feet, you could be on the ground without a plane on the wing," Fowler Arthur said during sponsor testimony, describing how vegetation, unpermitted buildings and tall farm silos can create hazards for small-aircraft operations.
The bill would examine and better coordinate local airport zoning and the airspace beneath the Federal Aviation Administration's 500-foot above-ground-level threshold, Fowler Arthur said, and direct the Ohio Department of Transportation to adopt the same standardized forms the FAA currently uses for notification and review. She said the change is meant to strengthen—rather than replace—existing local airport zoning where it exists.
"We're looking to unify the regulation in a way that helps everyone be on the same page," she said, adding that the legislation grew from stakeholder meetings and multiple prior iterations over several general assemblies.
Committee members asked technical questions about which structures the FAA considers hazards, how local zoning interacts with statewide standards, and where the bill might overlap with federal regulation. Ranking Member Grimm and others pressed for examples; Fowler Arthur cited instances where trees, silos and power lines impaired operations and said proponents intend to bring graphics and demonstrations to clarify the proposal.
Fowler Arthur also said the bill would update Ohio law to reflect emerging air-transport technologies, including unmanned systems and electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft. She described the measure as a starting point and said she expects the committee to refine the language in subsequent meetings.
No vote was taken; the item stood as the first hearing on HB 333. Committee members were directed to review written sponsor testimony provided by Representative Callender.