Napa County caps exterior noise at 45 dBA at night and 50 dBA by day at a neighboring rural home's property line, under Code Section 8.16.070. A data center's cooling equipment and generators would be held to these limits through permit and CEQA review.
Napa County Code Section 8.16.070 sets maximum exterior noise limits enforced against stationary sources such as mechanical equipment. At a rural residential property line the limit is 45 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 50 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; suburban residential limits run 45 to 55 dBA, and industrial areas 75 dBA anytime. Any steady tonal or humming noise — precisely the sound of data-center chillers and cooling fans — triggers a 5 dBA reduction, tightening the nighttime limit toward 45 dBA. A data center's equipment and backup-generator testing would be conditioned to meet these standards during use-permit and CEQA review.
Operating equipment that exceeds the Section 8.16.070 limits at a neighboring property line violates the county noise ordinance and any project conditions of approval. The county can require added mitigation, issue notices of violation, and pursue enforcement.
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