York County, VA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)

York County, Virginia regulates data center noise under Code § 24.1-489.1(f), part of the special use permit standards for these facilities. Before a data center can be approved, the applicant must submit a sound study that measures existing ambient noise, taken between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. from at least four corners of the property or other locations the Zoning Administrator sets, and models the noise the completed facility, including its generators and ancillary equipment, is predicted to add. Once operating, the data center and its ancillary equipment cannot produce sound that exceeds the ambient level captured in that study, or fifty-five A-weighted decibels (55 dBA) and sixty-five C-weighted decibels (65 dBC), whichever number is greater, measured from the boundary of the property where the facility sits.

The Zoning Administrator can order additional sound studies after the facility starts operating, at the owner or lessee's expense, to confirm it still meets the noise ordinance and this subsection. All mechanical equipment must stay in good condition and run with a fully operational muffler or other noise-attenuating device where the manufacturer includes one or the sound study required one to hit the decibel limits. Generator testing is tightly limited: only one generator can be tested at a time, and only Monday through Friday between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; outside of testing or commissioning, generators are for backup and emergency use only.

These noise standards apply on top of the required 100-foot non-residential and 500-foot residential structure setbacks and the fifty-foot Type 50 buffer required elsewhere in § 24.1-489.1.