Sebastian County, AR Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Daytime limit (8am-10pm)
- 65 dBa at property line
- Nighttime limit (10pm-8am)
- 55 dBa at property line
- Measured by
- Third-party acoustic engineer
- First offense fine
- $1,000, doubled for repeats
- Continuing violation
- $500 per day
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. 2023-18, passed 7-18-23
Summary
Data centers in unincorporated Sebastian County may not exceed 65 dBa at the property line from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., or 55 dBa from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Exceeding either limit is a noise disturbance and a misdemeanor.
It shall be unlawful for any data center to make or continue to cause or permit to be made or continued, noise levels constituting a noise disturbance. For the purposes of this section, the external noise level emanating from data centers shall be deemed disturbing to a person, reasonably calculated to disturb the peace and unreasonably offensive and injurious to the public, or their property, if the sound level is: (A) 65 dBa or higher during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. or 55 dBa or higher during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (as determined by a third-party acoustic engineer) measured at the property line of the receiving property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-62: 2026 S-62 contains Local legislation current through April 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 96, added by Ordinance 2023-18 on July 18, 2023, applies only to data centers built or operated in the unincorporated part of Sebastian County. , as measured at the property line of the receiving property and verified by a third-party acoustic engineer. 05(B) also lists non-exclusive factors an enforcement officer may weigh, including the volume, time of night, duration, recurrence, and whether the operator followed its own noise attenuation plan. 03(C): before construction, the owner must retain a third-party architectural or design firm to build noise attenuation into the facility (soundproof walls, screens, buffer yards, or fully screened mechanical equipment) so the external sound level stays under the 65/55 dBa thresholds, and must file the building plan with the County Judge and County Clerk within 30 days of completion.
04 further sets out the measurement protocol enforcement must follow, requiring high, average, and low readings (or three separate readings) and a written monitoring report covering the date, calibration record, weather conditions, equipment used, and land use of both source and listener, with any extraneous noise sources requiring the measurement to be postponed.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding 65 dBa (day) or 55 dBa (night) at the property line, or failing to build to the filed noise attenuation plan, is a misdemeanor under Section 96.99, punishable by a $1,000 fine for a first offense (double for repeat offenses) and $500 for each day a continuing violation persists, with the county or any citizen entitled to seek an injunction to abate the nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can a data center be in Sebastian County?
Does the noise limit apply to all businesses or just data centers?
What is the penalty for a data center that runs too loud?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sebastian County
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