Santa Barbara County has no numeric noise ordinance. Its Environmental Thresholds Manual treats a project as significant if it raises exterior noise at nearby homes above 65 dB(A) CNEL, or adds 3 dB(A) where it already exceeds 65. Data-center cooling and generators are conditioned to meet it via CEQA.
Unincorporated Santa Barbara County has no property-line decibel ordinance for stationary sources. Continuous noise is instead judged under the County's Environmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual (Noise Thresholds), applied during CEQA and permit review. A project is presumed to have a significant impact if it causes exterior noise at a sensitive receptor's outdoor living area — homes, schools, hospitals, places of worship — to exceed 65 dB(A) CNEL, or, where noise already exceeds 65, to rise by 3 dB(A). Interior living-area noise above 45 dB(A) CNEL is likewise significant. A data center's chillers, cooling fans, and backup-generator testing are engineered and conditioned to stay within these figures.
Noise exceeding a project's CEQA-based permit conditions is a permit violation. The County can require added mitigation, issue notices of violation through code enforcement, and, for continued noncompliance, move to revoke the discretionary permit.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Maria, CA
Aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA; Santa Maria Public Airport District runs a voluntary noise advisory program using California's 65 dB CNEL s...
Santa Maria, CA
Sound-amplifying equipment is regulated in residential zones under Chapter 5-5, and Chapter 6-6 (Party Disturbances) makes hosting a party with sound 'plainl...
Santa Maria, CA
Barking dogs in Santa Maria are treated as 'unmeasurable nuisance noise' under Chapter 5-5 and as a Good Neighbor Rules issue under Chapter 4-7, with persist...
Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria limits residential-zone construction noise under Chapter 5-5, with a construction-noise permit required from the Noise Control Officer when work ...
Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria Municipal Code Chapter 5-5 sets ambient base noise levels that drop at night in residential zones, with a violation found when the level exceeds ...
Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria has no city-wide overnight curfew on ordinary cars parked on residential streets. The 72-hour rule applies to all vehicles, and Section 7-5.18 im...
See how Santa Maria's data center noise limits rules stack up against other locations.
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