Is Hobby Airport loud to live near?

For close-in south Houston neighborhoods, yes. Hobby (HOU/KHOU) sits about 11 km (7 mi) southeast of downtown, hemmed in by established residential areas rather than open buffer land, and it runs a heavy Southwest 737 schedule plus growing international and business-jet traffic. Because the runways form two intersecting axes, there is essentially no permanent quiet side — jets climb out low over Pecan Park, Garden Villas, Park Place and toward South Houston and Pasadena depending on the wind. Drop a pin on the map above to see your street's exposure.

Why are planes flying low over South Houston and Park Place?

Both areas sit close to the field and near the northwest-southeast runway axis (13R/31L and 13L/31R). Park Place is directly off the 31L/31R departure and 13 approach line just northwest of the airport, so it takes consistent low climb-outs. South Houston lies northeast of the field, lateral to that axis, and catches 31L arrivals and turning departures depending on configuration. Aircraft are still at low altitude this close in.

Which south Houston neighborhoods are quietest for aircraft noise?

Areas well off the two runway axes — generally to the far west and southwest such as Brays Oaks and Westbury, or far enough east that aircraft have climbed to altitude like west Deer Park — see the least impact. The hardest-hit areas are the ones wrapping the field and under the corridors — Greater Hobby, Park Place, Garden Villas, Pecan Park and South Houston. The map above lets you check any specific address.

Is the noise from Hobby (HOU) or from Bush Intercontinental (IAH)?

If you are in the city's southeast quadrant, it is almost certainly Hobby. William P. Hobby (HOU/KHOU) is the close-in airport about 7-8 mi southeast of downtown; George Bush Intercontinental (IAH/KIAH) is a separate, larger airport well to the north. They have different runways and flight paths, so noise over Pecan Park, Park Place, Garden Villas or South Houston comes from Hobby traffic.

How do I report aircraft noise at Hobby Airport?

Contact the Houston Airports Noise Compliance Office (Houston Airport System) at fly2houston.com/airport-business/noise or by phone on 281-233-3900. Logged complaints feed into the airport's real-time flight-tracking and noise-mitigation work. Air traffic routing itself is an FAA responsibility, so persistent flight-path concerns can also be raised through the FAA's Southwest Region community-engagement channel.

How often do planes fly over my Houston address?

It depends heavily on which runway axis you sit near and the day's wind. Close-in neighborhoods under the 04/22 or 13/31 corridors can see frequent overflights during daytime banks, while off-corridor areas a few kilometers laterally get only intermittent traffic. Use the pin-drop tool above to see the exact daily flight count and hourly profile for your specific address.

Houston Flight Path Noise Map – William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)

Name: Aircraft noise observations near William P. Hobby Airport
Creator: Flight Path Noise
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Aircraft noise around Houston in October 2026

Loudest neighborhoods near Houston: Hobby / Greater Hobby, Park Place, Garden Villas, Pecan Park, South Houston (city). Quietest: Golfcrest / Bellfort, Deer Park (west), Brays Oaks / Westbury. Busiest around 2 PM local time averaging 720 flights/day. Source: Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 30 days to 2026-10-17.

Flights by hour · last 30 days

12a6a12p6p

Average daily traffic

720

flights / day · 21,591 total

Busiest hour

2 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest hour

2 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest residential area

Garden Villas

65 dB avg · ~455 flights/day · Busy road

Just north-west of the airport boundary along Sims Bayou, under turning departures and pattern traffic from multiple runways

Does Houston Airport have a curfew?

No — Houston has no formal curfew.

mandatory curfew. Hobby operates 24/7 and night operations are not legally restricted. Houston Airports runs a voluntary nighttime noise-abatement program of roughly 11 PM to 6 AM, which asks operators to minimize noise during those hours, but it is voluntary — consistent with U.S. federal law, which generally prohibits hard local curfews. In practice the field is quietest overnight but never guaranteed silent.

William P. Hobby (HOU/KHOU) is Houston’s original commercial field, sitting just 11 km (7 mi) southeast of downtown and hemmed in on all sides by dense, established residential neighborhoods rather than buffered by open land. Its three runways form two intersecting axes — a northeast-southwest pair (04/22) and the longer northwest-southeast pair (13R/31L and 13L/31R) — so depending on the wind there is essentially no single “quiet side.” Jets climb out low over Pecan Park, Garden Villas, Park Place and toward South Houston and Pasadena at various times of day. Because Hobby handles a heavy Southwest Airlines 737 schedule plus growing international flights and substantial business-jet traffic, the noise footprint is felt close-in and at low altitude. Houston Airports runs a voluntary nighttime noise-abatement program (roughly 11 PM – 6 AM), but — like nearly all U.S. airports — there is no mandatory curfew.

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Hobby’s three runways sit on two axes. 04/22 (7,602 ft / 2,317 m, concrete, grooved) runs northeast-southwest. 13R/31L (7,602 ft / 2,317 m, asphalt, grooved) and the shorter parallel 13L/31R (5,148 ft / 1,569 m, concrete, grooved) run northwest-southeast. The two 7,602-ft runways carry the bulk of airline traffic; the shorter 13L/31R is used more by general aviation and business jets. Because the axes cross, the high-exposure ring is broad and rotates with the wind rather than concentrating on one side.

Area	Aircraft noise	Why
Greater Hobby	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Wraps the field; closest exposure on all runway ends, plus ground noise
Park Place	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Off the 31L/31R departure and 13 approach line just north-west
Garden Villas	✈︎✈︎✈︎	North-west of the boundary under turning departures and pattern traffic
Pecan Park	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Under the 04 departure / 22 arrival corridor to the north
South Houston	✈︎✈︎✈︎	North-east of the field; catches 31L arrivals and turning departures
Glenbrook Valley	✈︎✈︎	North-northeast near the 31 departure path
Meadowbrook / Allendale	✈︎✈︎	Under the 31 departure climb corridor
Gulfgate / Pine Valley	✈︎✈︎	Northern extension of the 04/22 corridor
Pasadena (west)	✈︎✈︎	North-east end of the 13R/31L axis
Sunnyside	✈︎✈︎	West; intermittent turning-22 departures and downwind legs
South Belt / Ellington	✈︎✈︎	South along extended approach/departure tracks
Golfcrest / Bellfort	✈︎	North-west, lateral to the main corridors
Deer Park (west)	✈︎	Far north-east; aircraft already at altitude
Brays Oaks / Westbury	✈︎	Well west and off-corridor

If aircraft noise is a primary concern, the practical move at Hobby is to get well off both runway axes — the far west and southwest (Brays Oaks, Westbury) or far enough out along the 13/31 line that aircraft have climbed to altitude (west Deer Park). The neighborhoods wrapping the field and sitting under the corridors — Greater Hobby, Park Place, Garden Villas, Pecan Park and South Houston — are the most consistently affected. If you’re looking at houses there, drop a pin on the map above to see your specific street’s exposure.

Flight patterns and runway use

Hobby’s prevailing winds blow generally from the south and southeast off the Gulf, so southerly and southeasterly flow is common — but the field flips between configurations as fronts pass through. There is no single permanent preferential runway; the FAA assigns runways by wind and traffic, using both the 04/22 (NE-SW) and 13/31 (NW-SE) axes.

In broad terms, departures and arrivals fan out along those two axes. Traffic on 13R/31L routes northwest-to-southeast — over Park Place and inner south Houston on 31L climb-outs, and toward South Houston and Pasadena off the southeast end. Traffic on 04/22 routes northeast-southwest, sending Runway 04 departures climbing northeast over Pecan Park and the Gulfgate area, and Runway 22 departures off to the southwest. Because the field is inland, there is no over-water routing option — departures climb directly over urban neighborhoods in every direction.

Houston Airports states it works to mitigate noise through real-time flight tracking, public outreach and a noise-compliance office, and it promotes voluntary noise-abatement procedures during the nighttime period. AirNav’s remarks for KHOU also caution pilots about departure turns in excess of 180 degrees, reflecting the noise-routing turns used to steer climb-outs away from the densest areas. Beyond the voluntary night program, no specific published preferential-runway or steep-approach mandate for Hobby has been independently confirmed, so none should be assumed.

The route-density layer on the map above shows the cumulative pattern: two bright crossing corridors — one northeast-southwest, one northwest-southeast — radiating from the field, with the brightest, lowest-altitude bands closest to the runway ends.

When is it quietest?

Hobby has no curfew, so its daily profile is shaped by the airline schedule rather than a hard overnight cutoff:

Voluntary night window (11 PM – 6 AM): the quietest stretch. Operations are not legally restricted, but volume drops sharply and the voluntary abatement program asks operators to minimize noise. Expect occasional late arrivals, early freight and business jets rather than silence.
6 AM – 9 AM: morning departure bank ramps up as the Southwest 737 operation and the first international and business-jet movements push out.
Midday (10 AM – 3 PM): sustained, moderate traffic.
Late afternoon / early evening (4 PM – 8 PM): another peak as arrival and departure banks overlap.
9 PM – 11 PM: tapers toward the voluntary night window.

Wind shifts matter just as much as the clock. A frontal passage can flip the operation from the 13/31 axis to the 04/22 axis (or reverse the direction on either), suddenly putting a neighborhood that was lateral to the traffic directly under climb-outs. That rotation is why Hobby’s noise story is one of broad, shifting exposure across south Houston rather than a single fixed corridor. For your specific address, the pin-drop tool above shows the hourly profile.

How to check noise at your specific address

The map above answers “is this spot loud?” Three steps:

Search your address or postcode in the bar at the bottom of the map.
Drop a pin — click the location marker that appears.
Read the noise report in the sidebar: average daily noise (Leq), peak observed dB, flights per day passing within 2 km, and an hourly breakdown.

The Noise Heatmap layer (orange/red = louder) and the Route Density layer (purple/magenta = busier corridors) make Hobby’s two crossing axes obvious. Because the field is hemmed in by neighborhoods and the configuration rotates with the wind, check both axes — an address that looks lateral to today’s traffic may sit under the corridor when the operation flips. To report persistent noise, contact the Houston Airports Noise Compliance Office at 281-233-3900 or through fly2houston.com.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hobby Airport loud to live near?: For close-in south Houston neighborhoods, yes. Hobby (HOU/KHOU) sits about 11 km (7 mi) southeast of downtown, hemmed in by established residential areas rather than open buffer land, and it runs a heavy Southwest 737 schedule plus growing international and business-jet traffic. Because the runways form two intersecting axes, there is essentially no permanent quiet side — jets climb out low over Pecan Park, Garden Villas, Park Place and toward South Houston and Pasadena depending on the wind. Drop a pin on the map above to see your street's exposure.
Why are planes flying low over South Houston and Park Place?: Both areas sit close to the field and near the northwest-southeast runway axis (13R/31L and 13L/31R). Park Place is directly off the 31L/31R departure and 13 approach line just northwest of the airport, so it takes consistent low climb-outs. South Houston lies northeast of the field, lateral to that axis, and catches 31L arrivals and turning departures depending on configuration. Aircraft are still at low altitude this close in.
Which south Houston neighborhoods are quietest for aircraft noise?: Areas well off the two runway axes — generally to the far west and southwest such as Brays Oaks and Westbury, or far enough east that aircraft have climbed to altitude like west Deer Park — see the least impact. The hardest-hit areas are the ones wrapping the field and under the corridors — Greater Hobby, Park Place, Garden Villas, Pecan Park and South Houston. The map above lets you check any specific address.
Which runways does Hobby use and where do the flight paths go?: Hobby has three runways on two intersecting axes — 04/22 runs northeast-southwest, and 13R/31L plus 13L/31R run northwest-southeast. The FAA assigns runways by wind and traffic, so the configuration flips as fronts pass. Traffic on 13R/31L routes northwest-to-southeast over Park Place and toward South Houston and Pasadena, while 04/22 traffic routes northeast-southwest over Pecan Park and the South Belt area. The field is inland, so there is no over-water routing — departures climb over neighborhoods in every direction.
Is the noise from Hobby (HOU) or from Bush Intercontinental (IAH)?: If you are in the city's southeast quadrant, it is almost certainly Hobby. William P. Hobby (HOU/KHOU) is the close-in airport about 7-8 mi southeast of downtown; George Bush Intercontinental (IAH/KIAH) is a separate, larger airport well to the north. They have different runways and flight paths, so noise over Pecan Park, Park Place, Garden Villas or South Houston comes from Hobby traffic.
How do I report aircraft noise at Hobby Airport?: Contact the Houston Airports Noise Compliance Office (Houston Airport System) at fly2houston.com/airport-business/noise or by phone on 281-233-3900. Logged complaints feed into the airport's real-time flight-tracking and noise-mitigation work. Air traffic routing itself is an FAA responsibility, so persistent flight-path concerns can also be raised through the FAA's Southwest Region community-engagement channel.
How often do planes fly over my Houston address?: It depends heavily on which runway axis you sit near and the day's wind. Close-in neighborhoods under the 04/22 or 13/31 corridors can see frequent overflights during daytime banks, while off-corridor areas a few kilometers laterally get only intermittent traffic. Use the pin-drop tool above to see the exact daily flight count and hourly profile for your specific address.

Sources and further reading

William P. Hobby Airport — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
AirNav: KHOU — William P Hobby Airport — AirNav
Noise Management — Houston Airport System (fly2houston.com)
Runway 13R/31L at William P Hobby (KHOU/HOU) — FlightAware
Southwest Region Aircraft Noise and Community Engagement — Federal Aviation Administration

Data updated 2026-10-17 — live ADS-B monitoring, rolling 30-day statistics (methodology). Article text revised 2026-05-30.

30 dB	Whisper
45 dB	Quiet residential
55 dB	Normal conversation
65 dB	Busy road
75 dB	Vacuum cleaner
85 dB	Heavy traffic
95 dB	Motorcycle nearby

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Houston Flight Path Noise Map – William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)

Aircraft noise around Houston in October 2026

Does Houston Airport have a curfew?

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Flight patterns and runway use

When is it quietest?

How to check noise at your specific address

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

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