Spalding County, GA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)

Sec. 1403A(B)(8) sets the general development standards a data center must meet to win a special exception in the C-1C Manufacturing Light district (Article 14A). Item k is the county's noise-control mechanism: it requires an acoustic/noise study at the time the operator applies for the land disturbance permit, the county's tool for reviewing grading, drainage and site work before construction. The clause goes further than simply requiring a study, it states that acoustic or noise-minimizing walls 'may be required' on the main buildings and 'shall be required' around outdoor generator areas 'regardless of any noise study,' meaning the generator-area walls are mandatory no matter what the acoustic study concludes.

The same item also sets an equipment standard tied to noise and emissions, requiring minimum Tier 4F generators, the cleanest, quietest EPA tier for diesel backup generators. These noise provisions sit alongside the district's other data-center conditions: mechanical equipment must be fully screened with opaque fencing and rooftop parapets (item f), and power transfer stations and generators need a 50-foot vegetated buffer from adjacent residential property (item h). Together the acoustic study, the mandatory generator-area walls and the Tier 4F generator floor form the county's noise package for this specific use; no other zoning district in the ordinance repeats this level of acoustic detail for any other listed use.