Independent Study Finds
Stafford Data Center Noise Limit Up to 35 Decibels Above Actual Nighttime Background Levels and Up to 31 Decibels Above Actual Daytime Background Levels
stafford, VA - OCTOBER 2026
An independent sound study conducted by Noise Control Engineering, LLC (NCE) found that Stafford County’s 55 dB(A) data center noise limit is as much as 35 decibels above actual background nighttime sound levels measured and 31 decibels above actual daytime sound levels measured near three proposed data center sites. Effectively, Stafford’s ordinance allows data center noise far above what residents in these communities hear and experience today, both day and night.
Protect Stafford asks decision makers to consider these findings when reviewing current and future data center applications and to ensure applicants provide comparable, site-specific baseline measurements and sufficient detail to allow meaningful evaluation of projected noise impacts.
NCE monitored six locations near the proposed Simms Farm, George Washington Village (GWV), and Forest Lane data center sites for roughly four weeks in January and February 2026. The study found nighttime background levels of just 20 decibels, with daytime levels as low as 24 decibels, and concluded that Stafford’s existing noise standard is insufficient to protect nearby residents from data center noise disturbances. According to NCE, projects could produce intrusive and objectionable noise “even if staying within the current limits.”
“This study exposes a critical distinction between compliance and livability,” said Erin Sanzero, President of Protect Stafford. “It is hard to translate decibels into everyday experience, but a 55 dB(A) limit is something like living in a suburban neighborhood where your next-door neighbor mows their lawn continuously, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, as a permanent reality. That would be a drastic change from the sound environment these communities experience today. This study shows that meeting Stafford’s data center noise standard does not mean a data center is reasonable or compatible with the homes around it.”
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection identifies an increase of 10 decibels over ambient background as excessive noise. At the Stafford locations NCE studied, the County’s 55 dB(A) limit would allow noise increases of as much as 35 decibels at night and 31 decibels during the day. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation classifies increases of the magnitude identified in Stafford as ranging from “Objectionable” to “Very objectionable or intolerable.”
Local reporting across the country and here in Virginia has shown how persistent data center noise can disrupt sleep, interfere with the use and enjoyment of homes and outdoor spaces, and significantly diminish quality of life. Unlike many of the other sounds people encounter in daily life, data center noise does not stop. The issue is not simply whether a sound can be heard or felt, but what happens when that sound must be endured as a permanent part of daily life.
“Objectionable and intolerable are established regulatory classifications,” said Kevin French, Vice President of Protect Stafford. “They are the direct result of applying recognized benchmarks to the conditions NCE measured here in Stafford.”
The timing is particularly significant for Stafford. Virginia has acknowledged the need for data center noise protection standards, but communities are still making decisions before those protections are in place. Stafford plans to consider roughly 12 million square feet of proposed data center development in October alone, with additional projects moving through the development pipeline.
Key Findings & Highlights:
Existing background sound is substantially below Stafford’s limit
NCE’s measurements show that Stafford’s 55 decibel data center noise limit permits a drastic increase above the sound environment that exists today, during both daytime and nighttime hours.
Compliance can still create objectionable noise
NCE concluded that intrusive and objectionable noise may occur even when a data center remains within the County’s existing standard. In other words, a project can comply with Stafford’s ordinance and still create noise that recognized regulatory benchmarks characterize as objectionable or worse.
Noise protection must account for what is already there
NCE used the industry-standard metric to characterize normal background sound, establishing what these communities actually sound like before data centers are built. That baseline makes it possible to measure how dramatically the sound environment could change afterward. NCE recommends using those existing conditions to guide noise protections rather than relying only on a single countywide limit.
Protect Stafford is a grassroots 501(c)(4) organization committed to responsible data center development in Stafford County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.