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Newport Beach, CA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified July 2026

Key Facts

Code
Muni Code Sec. 10.26.025
Industrial limit
70 dB(A) all hours
Home limit
55 day / 50 night
Commercial limit
65 dB(A) daytime
Measured at
Receiving property line

Summary

Newport Beach caps noise at the receiving property line under Municipal Code Chapter 10.26. On industrial land the limit is 70 dB(A) day and night; at a single-family home it drops to 55 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) overnight. Data-center cooling and generators must meet the neighbor's limit.

It is unlawful for any person at any location within the incorporated area of the City to create any noise, or to allow the creation of any noise on property owned, leased, occupied or otherwise controlled by such person, which causes the noise level when measured on any other property, to exceed either of the following:

Source: Newport Beach Municipal Code, Title 20 Zoning Code & Chapter 10.26 Community Noise ControlView official code

Full Breakdown

Newport Beach's Community Noise Control ordinance, Municipal Code Section 10.26.025, makes it unlawful to create noise that exceeds the receiving zone's standard when measured on another property. Limits by land use: single-, two-, or multiple-family residential (Zone I) 55 dB(A) daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 50 dB(A) overnight (10 p.m.-7 a.m.); commercial (Zone II) 65/60; mixed-use residential (Zone III) 60/50; and industrial or manufacturing (Zone IV) 70 dB(A) at all hours. A data center's continuous chillers, cooling towers, and backup generators are measured at the nearest receiver; the 50 dB(A) overnight residential floor binds where IG land abuts homes.

Violations & Fines

Noise over the Section 10.26.025 limits, measured for any fifteen-minute period on another property, is a violation the city enforces through citations and, for permitted projects, breach of the noise conditions on the use permit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How loud can a data center be in Newport Beach?
On industrial (Zone IV) land, noise cannot exceed 70 dB(A) at any hour under Section 10.26.025. Where it reaches homes, the limit falls to 55 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) overnight.
What noise rule protects homes near a Newport Beach data center?
The receiving property sets the limit. At a single-family home the cap is 50 dB(A) between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., so cooling and generators must meet that overnight floor.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Newport Beach

All Newport Beach rules

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