How much sound do data centers create, and how is it regulated?

The primary sources of sound are HVAC systems and backup generators. Most facilities are designed to mitigate sound impacts through equipment selection, placement, and screening. Noise is regulated by local ordinances and state agencies, with studies typically required to demonstrate compliance.

If local/state ordinances do not apply, EPA recommends keeping day-night outdoor noise level (DNL) to less than 55 dBA, which is the perceived “quiet/comfortable” zone as shown below. 

Data centers undergo noise modeling during design to determine how to best control or mitigate source sounds, including low frequency tones, such that they meet local/state requirements and do not cause detriment to any surrounding sensitive receptors.   

Suggestion for data center development: Modeling for dBA, dBC, and 1/3 octave bands, which can inform equipment and sound abatement add-ons to control or mitigate tonal and low-frequency noise. 

“Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety” (EPA Report 550/9-74-004, 1974)

Data centers challenge communities: revising noise ordinances for balance