Prince William adopts revised noise ordinance for data centers after marathon hearing

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved a revised county noise ordinance tied to datacenter operations on Oct. 28 after a multi‑hour public hearing that drew dozens of residents, acoustical experts and business representatives.

Deputy County Executive Wade Hu, who led the staff presentation, said the ordinance uses a C‑weighted sound metric for initial enforcement and retains octave‑band analysis as a technical guidance tool. "We would recommend approval of Chapter 14 with the noise ordinance," Hu told the board during his presentation, and recommended a six‑month lead time before enforcement begins to hire and train staff and buy specialized meters.

Residents from numerous neighborhoods told the board they had endured 24‑7 low‑frequency noise that they say affects sleep and quality of life. "You must delay voting on any sound ordinance until the new Gainesville supervisor has been elected and seated," David Peterson told supervisors during public comment, urging stronger protections tied to communities most affected. Speakers representing the county’s data‑center advisory group and the consultants who conducted dozens of field tests urged enforcement methods that could reliably attribute low‑frequency noise to a particular source.

Board supporters said the ordinance represents a compromise: it immediately creates an enforceable standard using the C‑weighted metric, provides funding to add two acoustical engineers and equipment, and keeps octave‑band testing as an advisory tool to help isolate tonal signatures and guide mitigation. Opponents warned the octave‑band standard proposed earlier by advisory consultants would have been stricter and argued the adopted approach weakens protections. Business groups recommended longer phase‑in periods for technical retrofits and asked for clearest variance rules and safe harbors for operators taking steps to comply.

The board voted 5–2 to adopt the ordinance and a resolution to fund enforcement resources; Supervisors Vega and Chair Jefferson voted no. The board also directed staff to return with an analysis of how the new rules are working roughly six to nine months after enforcement begins and to provide regular status updates. Hu said staff would begin recruiting immediately if the board’s action stood and that the ordinance’s effective date was set to allow roughly six months of ramp‑up before enforcement.

What’s next: enforcement begins after the county hires the necessary staff and equips them with measurement tools; a staff report will return to the supervisors after months of field data and complaint response.