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

Section 9(C)(3)(e) of the Plum Creek PUD zoning ordinance, Chapter 53A of the Kyle City Code, sets the sound limit for the "EMP" employment district as a whole rather than as a rule written specifically for data centers; it applies to every permitted use in the district, including the data centers listed in subsection (B)(17), along with offices, warehouses, light manufacturing, research labs and other employment uses. The standard is measured at the property line: a maximum of 70 dBA where the adjoining property is zoned commercial, dropping to a stricter 65 dBA where the adjoining property is zoned "R-1," "R-2," or "R-3" residential.

That distinction means a data center's cooling equipment, generators and mechanical systems must be engineered to a tighter noise budget on any side of the site that borders a residential district than on a side bordering commercial land. The noise standard sits alongside the district's other site development regulations, including a 5,750-square-foot minimum lot, no required front, side or rear setbacks, a 75-foot height cap and a 1.5 floor area ratio, all reviewed through the architectural review committee's site plan sign-off before construction begins.