San Benito County Code Section 19.39.030 caps noise at the receiving property line: 45 dBA day and 35 dBA night for rural and residential land, 65/55 for commercial, and 70/60 for industrial. A data center's cooling and generators are measured where the neighbor sits, not at the plant.
Chapter 19.39 (Ordinance 872, 2011) sets the countywide noise limits. Section 19.39.030 and Table 1 apply the standard to the receiving land use, measured at or within that property's boundary: 45 dBA day / 35 dBA night for agricultural, rural, and single-family land; 50/40 for multi-family and planned developments; 65/55 for commercial; and 70/60 for controlled manufacturing and light or heavy industrial. Day runs 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., night 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. A separate limit bars any source exceeding the ambient level by 5 dB. So a data center's chillers and backup generators are held to whatever parcel receives the sound - typically the low 35 dBA nighttime limit where homes are nearby.
Noise above the Table 1 limits, or 5 dB over ambient, violates Chapter 19.39. The county enforces through complaints and administrative action; a permitted data center breaching its noise conditions faces mitigation orders and use-permit revocation.
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