Environment · Data centers
Data center noise: what Apex's first draft would require
On October 7, staff gave the Environmental Advisory Board's Data Center Subcommittee a working draft of noise rules for data centers. Here is what the draft says in its own words, what is still a placeholder, and where to follow along.
Apex has a one-year moratorium on data center applications so the Town can write its own rules first. The Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) Data Center Subcommittee, advising during the moratorium, has been taking up one topic at a time. On October 7 the topic was noise, and the Town's planner brought a long draft article for the members to react to.
The planner's framing, in the meeting: the draft is "just a working document" that "has not been vetted by any other departments," meant to get a feel for the subcommittee's desires and provide direction. The draft's own cover page says nothing in it should be construed as final, adopted, or legally enforceable. This page reads what it would do if it were adopted as drafted, and flags what is likely to change.
Read the draft
What the draft says
Pick a part of the draft. The text is quoted from the Town's slides. Bracketed words and numbers are the Town's own placeholders; use the switch to see them highlighted.
§4(a)–(b) · Noise Mitigation Plan
A plan is required, and an independent expert checks it
§4(c) · Contents of the plan
Full build-out, with every mode of operation
§4(d) · Points of compliance
Where noise would be measured
In the meeting, staff said this differs from earlier discussions that focused on measuring at the property line, and members and staff discussed how low-frequency sound can travel well beyond it. The draft also calls for a monitoring plan (Sec. 9) and, staff said, continuous monitoring in place of a one-time post-construction study.
§2 · Applicability
Three tiers, and no splitting a project
Staff added that smaller tiers would get basic standards and smaller setbacks, with more restrictions on the bigger ones; that language had not been shared yet.
Cover note · How to read this draft
What the brackets mean
Try it
Which tier? Why "no segmentation" matters
Move the sliders to set the planned electrical load of each phase of a hypothetical campus (an example, not a real project). Then switch between judging each phase alone and counting all phases together, as the draft would.
Tier thresholds from the Town's draft Sec. 2 (Oct. 7, 2026): Tier 1, 1–10 MW; Tier 2, over 10–50 MW; Tier 3, over 50 MW. A "Data Center Facility" in the draft is one with a combined connected load of [1 megawatt] or more. Thresholds are drafts and may change.
Why it matters
Why data center noise is different
Staff explained why the draft goes beyond a standard noise rule. Hyperscale data centers run around the clock, unlike most industrial users with set hours. Most noise ordinances use the A-weighted decibel scale, which filters out the low frequencies people feel more than hear, so the draft adds C-weighted readings and octave-band detail. Equipment such as air handlers, chillers, cooling towers, substations and generators each contribute different frequencies.
On limits, staff said the draft's numbers were influenced by Prince William County, Virginia's new noise ordinance, a proposed South Carolina bill and Colorado's oil-and-gas noise rules, and that the values in brackets (such as a 60 dB figure) will change after consultation with experts. Mitigation has limits too: in the example staff showed, barriers and louvers together reduced sound by about 8 to 10 dB, and walls work best close to the source, while vegetation does little.
Residents
What residents contributed
Staff said some of the noise research in the meeting packet, including a study of modeled noise around data centers in Prince William County, Virginia, was shared by Apex residents, and that a resident recommended getting draft language in front of the subcommittee early, since two members' terms end in January. Staff plans a resident call on October 14 to gather input and pass it to the subcommittee.
Context
Why the Town is writing rules first
Mayor Pro Tem Terry Mahaffey, who is the EAB's Council liaison, moved Apex's one-year data center moratorium so the Town could write standards before any application is considered. In his Feb. 20, 2026 newsletter on data centers he listed sound among his concerns:
He also wrote that he would not support any project that doesn't meet the new standards and ensure residents' health, safety, welfare and quality of life.
What's next
How to follow along
- OCT. 14Resident call, per staff at the Oct. 7 meeting. Sign up for emails and details on the Town's engagement hub.
- NOV. 4Next subcommittee meeting, 5 p.m., Council Chambers, 73 Hunter St.; staff said it will be a public safety (fire and police) presentation.
- THENDrafting begins. Staff said anything adopted would go before the Planning Board and the Town Council first, and the public can speak at EAB meetings.
- SPRING 2027The Town expects the study to conclude (the moratorium runs one year).
Bottom line
A draft, with a direction
Nothing here is adopted, and the numbers will move. But the draft's shape is visible: a required plan, an independent check paid for by the applicant, modeling for the whole project at full buildout, measurement at the property line and the nearest home, and stricter tiers that can't be dodged by building in pieces. Sign up at the Town's data center study page to follow the next steps.
The draft is a working document presented Oct. 7, 2026; its language and numbers may change. Meeting video: Town of Apex.
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