Austin, TX Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)

Section 25-2-1063 sits in Article 10 of Austin's zoning chapter, the compatibility standards that protect small residential lots from larger neighbors. The section never uses the words data center. It regulates mechanical equipment, and the chillers, condensers and rooftop cooling units on a data center site fall inside that category. Subsection (B) is the noise rule: mechanical equipment cannot produce sound in excess of 70 decibels, measured at the site's property line or at an alleyway shared with a triggering property. The section names no weighting scale and no measuring instrument, so the number and the measurement point are the whole standard.

A triggering property is a site with at least one but fewer than four dwelling units that is zoned urban family residence (SF-5) or more restrictive (§ 25-2-1053). Article 10 applies to a site zoned multi-family residence moderate-high density (MF-4) or any less restrictive district when that site is located within 75 feet of a triggering property (§ 25-2-1051). A data center within 75 feet of an SF-5 house or duplex is therefore inside the rule, while the same building farther from every such lot is not.

Section 25-2-1052 carves out structural alterations that do not increase the square footage, area or height of a building, sites zoned central business district (CBD) or downtown mixed-use (DMU), and sites used for duplex, single-family, two-unit, three-unit, adult care or child care purposes.

Beyond the decibel cap, subsection (E) requires ground floor and rooftop mechanical equipment to be screened so it is not visible at the shared property line or alley, except when seen from or through a pedestrian or bicycle access point. Subsection (F) forbids screening that blocks those access points, and subsection (G) allows rooftop equipment to be screened by a parapet. Subsection (A) adds hooded or shielded exterior lighting, subsection (C) keeps a concrete slab for a refuse receptacle at least 15 feet from the triggering property, and subsection (D) keeps resident-only amenities 25 feet away.

The neighboring sections set the geometry. Structures within 50 feet of a triggering property are capped at 40 feet in height and structures from 50 to under 75 feet at 60 feet (§ 25-2-1061), and a compatibility buffer 25 feet wide is required along the shared line, or 15 feet for a site under 75 feet wide (§ 25-2-1062(B)). Council can grant site-specific amendments to height and compatibility buffers under § 25-2-1054, treated as a rezoning, but the 70 decibel limit is not among the items that section lists. Article 10 took effect July 15, 2024 under Ord. No. 20240516-004.