When Industrial Noise Becomes a Neighbor
Updated: Sep 24
A Sunbury resident asks whether the city's noise standards are adequate for large-scale data center development
For many residents living along the edges of Sunbury's proposed business and industrial development, concerns about data centers aren't limited to what the buildings might look like.
There is also the question of what they could sound like—24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sunbury resident Alicia Doty lives on nearly three acres on Vans Valley Road near property proposed for business and industrial development. She has spoken to Sunbury City Council several times about the project.
In recent comments to Council, she focused on one issue in particular:
Noise.
What Does Sunbury's Zoning Code Allow?
After researching data centers and Sunbury's zoning regulations, Doty raised concerns about the noise standards contained in the city's Limited Industrial District regulations.
She cited language stating that land or structures cannot be used in a manner that creates "dangerous or objectionable noise." She also pointed to a provision allowing a maximum noise level of 80 decibels at the boundary of the nearest residential or agricultural use or district.
That number caught her attention.
What does 80 decibels mean for someone who lives next door? And perhaps more importantly, is a general industrial noise standard appropriate for facilities that can operate continuously?
80 Decibels vs. Long-Term Exposure
Comparing noise levels requires some care because decibels don't work like an ordinary linear scale.
A 10-decibel increase represents 10 times the sound intensity and is generally perceived by the human ear as roughly twice as loud.
But there is another important distinction: a maximum permitted sound level is not the same thing as someone's average exposure over an entire day. That distinction matters when comparing Sunbury's zoning code with federal health guidance.
In 1974, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified 70 decibels averaged over 24 hours as an environmental noise exposure level intended to prevent measurable hearing loss over a lifetime. EPA specifically explained that this is an energy average—not a maximum instantaneous sound level—and that occasional sounds above 70 dB can occur while the 24-hour average remains below that level. (US EPA)
EPA also identified substantially lower levels when considering something other than hearing damage: 55 dB outdoors and 45 dB indoors to protect against activity interference and annoyance. (US EPA)
Those numbers raise an important question for residents living next to industrial development:
Should Sunbury evaluate continuous industrial noise based only on a maximum allowable sound level, or should its standards also account for duration, nighttime exposure and the character of the sound?
Not All Noise Is the Same
The number on a sound meter doesn't necessarily tell the entire story.
A brief sound during the middle of the day can affect someone very differently than a persistent hum, drone or rumble that continues through the night.
This issue has become particularly important in communities with concentrations of data centers.
Data centers can contain cooling equipment, HVAC systems, transformers, generators and other equipment capable of producing continuous or tonal sounds.
Prince William County, Virginia—one of the country's largest concentrations of data centers—has specifically revised its noise regulations to address steady tonal noise associated with industrial facilities, including data centers.
The county defines this type of noise as sound with a droning character that can be experienced as a whine, hum, rumble or buzz, and specifically identifies HVAC units, refrigeration equipment, transformers and backup generators among potential sources.
The revised enforcement provisions took effect May 1, 2026. (Prince William County Government). That experience provides a useful example for Sunbury—not necessarily a prescription for what Sunbury's limits should be, but evidence that communities with extensive experience regulating data centers have found reason to consider more than a single overall decibel limit.
What About Low-Frequency Sound?
Doty also raised concerns about low-frequency noise.
Sound can be measured using different frequency weightings. The familiar dBA measurement is weighted to approximate how the human ear responds to sound, while other measurements can provide additional information about lower-frequency components.
That's potentially important with equipment that produces persistent humming, buzzing or rumbling.
Prince William County's experience illustrates the issue. Its current regulations specifically recognize steady tonal noise associated with equipment commonly found at data centers and other large commercial and industrial facilities. (Prince William County Government)
The question for Sunbury becomes: Do our existing standards measure the kinds of sound that residents may actually experience from modern industrial facilities?
What Does “Traffic Noise in the Vicinity” Mean?
Doty also questioned another portion of the zoning language she cited.
According to her comments, Sunbury's code provides that between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, sound may equal but not exceed traffic noise in the vicinity.
To a neighboring resident, that raises practical questions.
When is the baseline measured?
Is "traffic noise" based on conditions before construction begins?
During construction, when heavy trucks may be traveling through the area?
After development is complete?
How is the standard objectively measured and enforced?
And what standard applies during nighttime hours and on Sundays?
Those aren't simply technical questions. A noise regulation is most useful when residents, developers and enforcement officials can understand what the limit is, how it is measured and when a violation occurs.
The Difference Between Hearing Damage and Quality of Life
Perhaps the most important distinction in this discussion is that noise doesn't have to cause hearing loss to affect someone's quality of life.
EPA's own guidance recognizes this distinction. Its historical analysis identified 70 dB as a 24-hour average intended to protect against measurable lifetime hearing loss. But EPA identified 55 dB outdoors and 45 dB indoors when considering interference with activities and annoyance. (US EPA)
That difference matters when discussing homes. People don't simply need protection from hearing damage in their homes. They sleep. They sit outside. Children play. Families talk. People open their windows. They expect to be able to enjoy their property.
For people who currently live in a quiet rural environment, the relevant question isn't simply:
“Will the noise damage my hearing?”
It may also be:
“Will I still be able to enjoy living here?”
From Birds and Spring Peepers to Industrial Hum?
For Doty, this issue isn't theoretical.
She described what her family hears today: Birds. Insects. Spring peepers. Owls.
Those sounds are part of what it means to live on her property. Her concern is that industrial development could permanently change that soundscape—particularly if mechanical equipment operates continuously and the city's zoning standards aren't designed to address the particular characteristics of that noise. That is why she is asking Sunbury officials to examine the city's regulations before development occurs.
Are Sunbury's Noise Standards Ready for Modern Industrial Development?
The question isn't whether all data centers will produce unacceptable noise. Facility design, equipment, distance, topography, sound barriers and mitigation measures can all affect what neighboring properties actually experience.
The more fundamental policy question is whether Sunbury's existing regulations are detailed enough to address those variables.
Should the city distinguish between daytime and nighttime noise?
Should continuous or tonal noise be treated differently from occasional sound?
Should noise studies be required before certain large industrial projects are approved?
Should measurements be required at neighboring residential property lines?
Should developers have to demonstrate through professional acoustic modeling that their facilities will comply?
Should standards specifically address low-frequency or tonal noise?
Prince William County's evolving regulations show that these are questions communities with substantial data-center development are actively confronting. The county's current planning work also includes requirements for noise studies for data centers adjacent to residential neighborhoods and attenuation of HVAC noise. (Prince William County Government)
Zoning Should Address Impacts Before They Happen
Noise is difficult to address after a facility is built.
Equipment can potentially be modified, barriers can be constructed and mitigation measures can be added. But preventing an impact through thoughtful site design and clear standards is a different proposition from trying to correct it after neighboring residents begin complaining.
That's why Alicia's comments raise a broader question that extends beyond one property or one proposed development:
Are Sunbury's existing industrial noise regulations designed for the types and scale of development the city may experience in the future?
Residents and policymakers may reach different conclusions about what the appropriate limits should be.
But understanding the standards—and asking whether they are adequate before major development occurs—is an important part of planning for responsible growth.
Read the code. Ask questions. Understand the impacts. Stay involved.
About this article
This article is based on public comments made by Sunbury resident Alicia Doty to Sunbury City Council. Statements describing her personal concerns and opposition to the proposed development reflect her views. Technical information has been supplemented with government sources so readers can review the underlying information and draw their own conclusions.
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