Calaveras County's Noise Ordinance (Chapter 9.02) handles complaints, but the numeric ceiling comes from the General Plan Noise Element, Table N-3: a stationary source like data-center cooling is capped at 55 dBA Leq daytime and 45 dBA Leq at night, measured at a neighbor's outdoor activity area.
Data-center cooling, chillers, and generator testing are stationary noise sources. General Plan Noise Element Table N-3 caps them at 55 dBA hourly Leq daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 45 dBA Leq at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.), measured at the outdoor activity area of a nearby home, school, or hospital. Note c lowers each limit by 5 dB for humming or tonal noise - exactly the character of HVAC and cooling equipment, which the table lists by name. The county applies these numbers to new projects through CEQA and use-permit conditions. Chapter 9.02 of the County Code is a separate, complaint-driven ordinance enforced by the Sheriff, with administrative fines of $150, $250, then $500 for repeat citations.
A permitted data center that breaches its Noise Element conditions faces notices of violation, required mitigation, and use-permit revocation. Separately, Chapter 9.02 complaint citations run $150 first offense, $250 second, and $500 for each later citation.
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See how Calaveras County's data center noise limits rules stack up against other locations.
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