Airport noise exposure plan (PEB) in France: zones A-D

The four PEB zones

The PEB is a map at a scale of 1:25,000 accompanied by an explanatory report, approved by arrêté préfectoral (prefectoral order) (or an inter-prefectoral one). It is drawn up taking into account the airport’s short-, medium- and long-term prospects: number of movements, flight paths, fleets, distribution of traffic between day, evening and night (Ministry for the Ecological Transition).

Zone D is compulsory at the largest airports (Ministry for the Ecological Transition).

The Lden index weights flights according to the time of day: an evening flight counts 5 dB more, a night flight 10 dB more. France adopted it in 2002 (Ministry for the Ecological Transition). The exact thresholds for zones B and C are set for each airport; they appear in the order approving the PEB.

Can you build or extend in a noise zone?

The principle is laid down by article L112-10 of the Planning Code: extending urban development is prohibited if it would expose new populations to noise, with some exceptions (DGAC summary table; the DGAC is the Direction générale de l’aviation civile, the civil aviation authority).

All buildings permitted in PEB zones are permitted subject to sound insulation measures (art. L112-12). For a buyer, the consequence is concrete: in zone A, B or C, a project to divide a property into several homes, or an extension increasing the number of occupants, may be refused.

The aircraft noise statement

This document is separate from the état des risques (risk statement): the risk statement refers to Géorisques and covers natural, mining and technological risks (see our guide on the risk statement), whereas aircraft noise falls under article L112-11 of the Planning Code, applicable since 1 June 2020. Both documents go into the dossier de diagnostic technique (technical survey file).

It concerns the sale or letting (leases subject to the Act of 6 July 1989) of a home, of mixed business and residential premises, or of a buildable plot located in a PEB zone. It is drawn up by the seller or landlord themselves and includes (DGAC notice, June 2020):

• the address of the property;
• the PEB zone the property is in (if the property straddles two zones, the noisier one is used);
• the address of the online service where the PEB can be consulted, namely Géoportail;
• a statement that the PEB can be consulted at the mairie (town hall).

It is included in the technical survey file annexed to the promesse (preliminary contract) or, failing that, to the deed of sale, and to the lease; it is also annexed to the acte authentique (notarial deed) and, for an off-plan sale (VEFA), to the contrat préliminaire (reservation contract). The seller or landlord keeps a dated copy, initialled by the buyer or tenant. The document is for information only, but if it is not annexed, the buyer may apply for rescission of the contract or a price reduction (art. L112-11, III).

The soundproofing grant

In force since 2005, it applies exclusively to residents near the 11 largest aerodromes: Basel-Mulhouse, Beauvais-Tillé, Bordeaux-Mérignac, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Marseille-Provence, Nantes-Atlantique, Nice-Côte d’Azur, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Paris-Le Bourget and Toulouse-Blagnac (Ministry for the Ecological Transition, page updated on 7 October 2026).

The home must meet a twofold condition:

1. be located, wholly or partly, within the plan de gêne sonore (PGS, noise nuisance plan), and have existed or been authorised on the date that plan was published;
2. be located outside the PEB in force on the date its building authorisation was granted.

It must not have already been soundproofed, by you or a previous owner. The grant covers studies, sound insulation works and the ventilation works they entail, and syndic (building manager) fees up to 2% of the works. It generally represents 80% of the services, raised to 90 or 100% subject to means testing, and 95% for a grouped operation, on a works amount capped according to the number of rooms and the PGS zone. In 2024, these caps were raised by 25% (order published in the Journal officiel on 5 January 2024). The application is filed with the aerodrome operator, which processes it and decides after a binding opinion from the commission consultative d’aide aux riverains (residents’ assistance advisory committee).

Which professional to consult

The agent immobilier (estate agent) can identify the PEB zone as soon as the property goes on sale, to prepare the aircraft noise statement. The diagnostiqueur (property surveyor) carries out the other surveys in the technical survey file, into which this document is incorporated. The notaire (notary) checks that it is annexed to the deed, and the géomètre-expert (chartered land surveyor) can locate a plot that straddles two zones.