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Yuba County adopts airport access ordinance amid contested ultralight dispute
Summary
The Board adopted an ordinance updating vehicle and gate access rules at Yuba County Airport after staff said the changes will standardize access for non-contract users. Ultralight operator David Shelton warned the board the measures could be discriminatory and cited an active federal Part 16 complaint.
The Yuba County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 13 adopted an ordinance amending vehicle operations and gate access at the Yuba County Airport, a move staff said is intended to give airport managers tools to fairly manage non-contract users such as limousine drivers, visiting performers and mechanics.
Jason Copping of Community Development Services Agency told the board the change would allow ‘‘the airport team to appropriately manage equally all members of the public who want access to the Yuba County Airport’’ and noted the ordinance has been refined after a December public workshop with more than 20 attendees.
During public comment, David Shelton, participating by Zoom, urged the board not to impose permit or insurance requirements that single out ultralight aircraft operators. ‘‘This measure would require me to spend thousands of dollars a year on permits and on aeronautical insurance that’s not required for most other transient users, and that is textbook discrimination,’’ Shelton said, adding he has raised the issue in an ongoing federal Part 16 docket.
County staff and supervisors discussed the distinction between vehicle/motor‑vehicle insurance required for gate access and aeronautical‑operation insurance. Jason Copping said that elements of the requirement remain ‘‘in flux’’ as the county continues to refine language with risk management and legal staff and will follow FAA guidance on ultralight ingress and egress patterns.
Supervisors pressed staff on parity for users who trailer aircraft into the airport versus those who fly in as transient aeronautical users; staff said the intent is an equal standard for those accessing secure areas through a gate. Copping said, pending final legal review and FAA consultation, the ordinance may be further tuned in subsequent meetings and workshops.
The board voted to waive second reading and adopt the ordinance; the motion carried on a roll‑call vote.
