Frederick County, VA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Frederick County limits when a data center may run its backup generators for testing purposes rather than leaving the schedule to the operator's discretion. , which keeps routine maintenance runs out of nights, weekends, and early mornings when nearby residences are most likely to be affected. The same subsection makes clear that staying inside the testing window does not excuse a facility from the County's general noise performance standards: subsection A(2)(a) states that, notwithstanding the testing-hours limit, all noise generated by any on-site generator must still comply with Article VIII, Part 801 of the chapter, the Zoning Ordinance's nuisance performance standards.

Generators themselves are also subject to the mechanical-equipment siting rules in the same section: subsection A(3)(b) requires every generator to be enclosed with a manufacturer-approved enclosure or located within the primary structure, which limits how much generator noise reaches the property line in the first place. Because a true power outage is not a scheduled test or cycling run, the weekday 8-to-5 window governs planned maintenance testing rather than emergency operation during a utility outage, though generator noise during any operation, planned or emergency, still has to meet Part 801's performance standards measured at the property boundary.