Commissioners add data-center noise-control request to legislative agenda

Commissioner Hale told the court he added a Collin County noise-control resolution to the 90th legislative agenda to ask state lawmakers to consider giving counties authority similar to city noise ordinances. Hale said data centers in unincorporated areas can emit continuous sound that travels into adjacent cities and that current state penal-code thresholds (85 decibels) are too high to address persistent noise issues.

"Right now, we have situations where there's data centers that are actually in the county that are emitting noise at high levels, and it actually emits noise into the cities right across the street," Commissioner Hale said, urging legislators to consider enabling reasonable county-level noise policy. The court voted to add the proposal to the legislative agenda; the motion passed on a voice vote recorded as 5 to 0.

During discussion, another commissioner raised concerns about enforcement capacity, noting current deputy shortages and that enforcement may require additional manpower. The court also directed staff to draft zoning language that could keep data centers farther from residential areas as one option to address enforcement and proximity concerns.