The Board of County Supervisors passed my new, more comprehensive noise ordinance on a 5–2 bipartisan vote — an important step toward bringing relief to residents impacted by data center noise. It will go into effect on May 1, 2025, giving staff six months to purchase equipment and complete training.
The ordinance sets clear limits on C-weighted noise, which better measures the deep, low-frequency sounds produced by industrial cooling systems more accurately than does the county’s current A-weighted standard. It also adds an octave-band tool that staff can use to pinpoint the exact source of noise as they work with operators to resolve violations. Combined, these methods are designed to provide residents with real protection through enforceable standards that also give the business community clear direction and consequences.
This approach builds on the research and recommendations of the Data Center Ordinance Advisory Group (DCOAG), county staff, and sound consultants — using their noise readings, reports, and analysis — while also incorporating research from other localities and input from a broader range of community voices. Final review and refinement were provided by Prince William’s Department of Development Services and legal team.
The work of the DCOAG, one of many stakeholder voices, was an important starting point for the final legislative process. As I developed ordinance revisions, I engaged additional stakeholders — including the Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, UVA Health, NAIOP Northern Virginia, Virginia American Water, and local small businesses — to ensure the final standard was both effective and practical.
The proposal that emerged from the DCOAG process brought us close to the finish line, but with the strictest decibel limits in the nation and a complicated octave-band enforcement system, it ultimately proved unworkable and lacked Board support. Octave-band testing is rarely used for enforcement due to its expense, complexity, and litigation risk. By overpromising on paper, the proposal would have underdelivered in practice, unintentionally hurting local employers — from medical facilities to community institutions like the Dale City Ice Rink — while failing to deliver real relief for residents, with the county spending more time in court than on effective noise regulation.
The new ordinance finds a balanced middle ground, addressing pressing community concerns about low-frequency noise without harming essential facilities and local businesses. It’s enforceable, fair, and adaptable, with a one-year evaluation period built in to ensure accountability and effectiveness.
This effort is part of my broader push to make sure data centers and neighborhoods don’t end up in conflict in the first place. I’ve called for the retirement of the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, which allows massive by-right projects to skip public review. Created in 2016, it no longer reflects what we know today about the industry’s impacts.
By phasing out that overlay, we can move toward smarter siting, placing data centers where they make sense, and keeping them away from where people live, work, and go to school. Together, these changes reflect a simple goal: protect our quality of life while maintaining a balanced, forward-looking economy that puts people first.