Bulloch County, GA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Daytime limit
- 50 dBA continuous
- Nighttime limit
- 45 dBA continuous
- Measurement interval
- 15-minute Leq, slow weighting
- Measurement distance
- no closer than 100 ft from residence
- Pure-tone tolerance
- 5-15 dB by frequency band
Summary
In unincorporated Bulloch County, crypto mining and data center operators cannot exceed 50 dBA in the daytime or 45 dBA at night at a nearby residence, measured with a calibrated Type 1 sound meter no closer than 100 feet from the home.
Section 1415. - Commercial cryptocurrency mining operation. ... (d)The operations shall not cause the dissemination of vibration or noise in excess of the maximum environmental noise level established by Bulloch County Code of Ordinances chapter 10, article VI. The operators shall not cause, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound which creates at an occupied residential building or defined sensitive receiver, as may exist at the time of the issuance of a certificate of completion or occupancy, a sound level that exceeds a daytime continuous sound level of 50 dBA or a nighttime continuous sound level of 45 dBA, for any 15-minute measurement interval unless otherwise permitted. ... (f)For permitting and compliance purposes, measurements shall be performed using a calibrated Type 1 sound level meter, configured to log and record one-third octave flat-weighted equivalent sound pressure levels, and A-weighted equivalent level (Leq), slow time weighting, with a 15-minute averaging interval. Measurements shall be made proximate to, but no closer than, 100 feet from an occupied residential structure or other designated sensitive receiver.
Full Breakdown
Section 1415(d) through (j) of the Zoning Ordinance (Appendix C) sets the noise standard for commercial cryptocurrency mining operations, server farms and data centers, cross-referencing the county's general environmental noise limit in Chapter 10, Article VI. At an occupied residential building or other defined sensitive receiver existing when the certificate of occupancy issued, the operation cannot produce a continuous sound level exceeding 50 dBA in the daytime or 45 dBA at night, measured over any 15-minute interval. A separate pure-tone standard applies: a one-third octave band cannot exceed the arithmetic average of the two adjacent bands by 5 dB at 500 hertz and above, 8 dB between 160 and 400 hertz, or 15 dB at 125 hertz and below.
Measurements must use a calibrated Type 1 sound level meter logging one-third octave flat-weighted and A-weighted equivalent (Leq) levels with slow time weighting and a 15-minute averaging interval, taken no closer than 100 feet from the residence or sensitive receiver, with transient background noise excluded. Before occupancy, the applicant must submit a noise test report from a qualified acoustical professional, and the zoning administrator can require a noise barrier if tests fail to conform. These limits do not protect a residence built after the mining facility's certificate of occupancy issued.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the 50 dBA daytime or 45 dBA nighttime continuous sound limit, or the pure-tone decibel thresholds, at an existing residence or sensitive receiver is a Section 1415 standards violation enforced as a Zoning Ordinance violation under Section 418, with the zoning administrator able to require a noise reduction barrier and each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the noise limit for a data center or crypto mining facility near homes in Bulloch County?
How is data center noise measured for compliance?
Does the noise limit protect a house built after the facility opened?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bulloch County
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