Collin County officials discuss creating more guardrails for data center development.
Collin County officials are moving to regulate noise from data centers in unincorporated areas, a measure not currently in place in cities like Plano or McKinney. Commissioners are seeking legislative authority to create these regulations, citing concerns over constant high-decibel noise from data centers and the sheriff's office being overstretched for enforcement.
Collin County commissioners are advancing a plan to establish noise regulations for data centers operating in the county's unincorporated areas. This initiative comes as more data centers are moving into the region, and unlike cities such as McKinney and Plano, these unincorporated zones currently lack specific noise ordinances.
Commissioners emphasized the necessity of implementing "guardrails" before further data center projects commence, highlighting the significant impact of continuous noise levels, around 65-70 decibels, 24 hours a day. Concerns were also raised regarding the county sheriff's office's capacity to enforce such regulations, given existing resource constraints.
In response to these challenges, commissioners plan to request that state legislators grant them the authority to create these regulatory measures during the upcoming legislative session.