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HomePublic Utilities CodeDiv. 9Pt. 1Ch. 4Art. 4§ 21681 Airport Ownership Requirements

§ 21681 Airport Ownership Requirements

Public Utilities Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 21681 Airport Ownership Requirements

Key Takeaways

  • •This law defines words used in rules about airports and money for airports.
  • •Only cities, counties, or other government groups can own and run airports to get help from the state.
  • •The money the government gives must be matched by the airport's own money, not just passed around from other government money.
  • •The law lists what the airport money can be used for, like building runways, buying land, or putting up lights and fences.

Example

A small town wants to build a new runway at its airport.

The town must own the airport land or have a long lease. It needs to use its own money to help pay for the runway, not just use money it got from the state before. The new runway is something the state money can help pay for.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 21681 Airport Ownership Requirements

As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Own and operate” means that the public entity shall own the property in fee simple or by a long-term lease of a minimum of 20 years, unless otherwise approved by the department, and shall maintain dominion and control of the property, except that the public entity may provide by contract with a person for the operation and management of an airport otherwise meeting the requirements of this article. Operations of the airport shall be for, and on behalf of, the public entity. All leases to the public entity of property are required to be approved by the department. A lease of the property by the public entity to an agent or agency other than to a public entity does not meet the criteria for participation in airport assistance funds. (b) “Matching funds” means money that is provided by the public entity and does not consist of funds previously received from state or federal agencies or public entity funds previously used to match federal or state funds. This definition shall be retroactive to July 1, 1967. (c) “General aviation” means all aviation except air carrier and military aviation. (d) “Public entity” means any city, county, airport district, airport authority, port district, port authority, public district, public authority, political subdivision, airport land use commission, community services district, or public corporation and the University of California. (e) “Public agency” means the various agencies of the State of California and the federal government. (f) “Airport and aviation purposes” means expenditures of a capital improvement nature, including the repair or replacement of a capital improvement, and expenditures for compatible land use planning in the area surrounding an airport, for any of the following purposes: (1) Land acquisition for development and improvement of general aviation aircraft landing facilities. (2) Grading and drainage necessary for the construction or reconstruction of runways or taxiways. (3) Construction or reconstruction of runways or taxiways. (4) Acquisition of “runway protection zones” as defined in Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 150/1500-13. (5) Acquisition of easements through, or other interests in, airspace as may be reasonably required for safeguarding aircraft operations in the vicinity of an aircraft landing facility. (6) Removal of natural obstructions from runway protection zones. (7) Installation of “segmented circle airport marker systems” as defined in current regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration. (8) Installation of runway, taxiway, boundary, or obstruction lights, together with directly related electrical equipment. (9) Installation of minimum security fencing around the perimeter of an aircraft landing facility. (10) Grading and drainage necessary to provide for parking of transient general aviation aircraft. (11) Construction or reconstruction of transient general aviation aircraft parking areas. (12) Servicing of revenue or general obligation bonds issued to finance capital improvements for airport and aviation purposes. (13) Air navigational facilities. (14) Engineering and preliminary engineering related directly to a project funded under this article. (15) Other capital improvements as may be designated in rules and regulations adopted by the department. (16) Activities of an airport land use commission in connection with the preparation of a new or updated airport land use compatibility plan pursuant to Section 21675. Expenditures that cannot be clearly identified as capital improvements shall be submitted to the department for consideration and approval. (17) Airport master plans and airport layout plans. (g) “Operation and maintenance” means expenditures for wages or salaries, utilities, service vehicles, and all other noncapital expenditures that are included in insurance, professional services, supplies, construction equipment, upkeep and landscaping, and other items of expenditure designated as “operation and maintenance” in rules and regulations adopted by the department. (h) “Enplanement” means the boarding of an aircraft by a revenue passenger, including an original, stopover, or transfer boarding of the aircraft. For purposes of this subdivision, a stopover is a deliberate and intentional interruption of a journey by a passenger scheduled to exceed four hours in the case of an intrastate or interstate passenger or not to exceed 24 hours in the case of an international passenger at a point between the point of departure and the point of destination, and a transfer is an occurrence at an intermediate point in an itinerary whereby a passenger or shipment changes from a flight of one carrier to another flight either of the same or a different carrier with or without a stopover. (Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 438, Sec. 23. Effective January 1, 2003.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

own and operatematching fundsgeneral aviationpublic entityairport and aviation purposes

Related Statutes

  • § 21684 Aviation Fund Payment Requirements
  • § 21683 Airport Funding Allocation Rules
  • § 21683.2 Airport Aviation Fund Use
  • § 21684.5 Airport Construction Funding
  • § 21684.6 Airport Construction Funding Exemption

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Public Utilities Code. Section 21681.
View Official Source