Santa Cruz County's noise ordinance (County Code Chapter 8.30) caps sound at the source property line: 75 dBA daytime (8 a.m.–10 p.m.) and 60 dBA at night (10 p.m.–8 a.m.). Data-center cooling and generators must meet these limits, reinforced through CEQA permit conditions.
Chapter 8.30 of the County Code governs offensive noise on unincorporated land. Section 8.30.010 automatically deems noise offensive when it exceeds 75 decibels at the property line from which the sound is broadcast between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., or 60 decibels between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., measured with an ANSI Type 1 or 2 sound level meter. Steady cooling-tower and chiller noise and periodic generator testing at a data center must stay under these figures. Because a data center needs a discretionary use permit, the county also imposes General Plan Noise Element standards and project-specific noise conditions through CEQA review, enforcing them as conditions of approval.
Cooling or generator noise exceeding 75 dBA daytime or 60 dBA at night at the source property line violates Chapter 8.30. Enforcement is complaint-based, starting with a warning; a repeat within 48 hours of a citation is a misdemeanor.
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