New, constructed, or modified commercial cryptocurrency-mining and data-mining operations are subject to the chapter; existing cryptocurrency-mining operations are exempt unless replacement, alteration, or expansion is requested.

No commercial cryptocurrency or data-mining operation may be developed without site-plan review and verification by the county building and development department that all chapter requirements are satisfied.

Mining structures, server farms, and data-mining centers must be compatible with the site and surrounding properties. Prefabricated, pre-engineered, or modular structures must have concrete foundations, muted earth-tone exterior colors, and maintained exterior facades.

Intermodal shipping containers used for the operation must comply with Georgia Department of Community Affairs industrialized-building requirements and applicable state law.

The operation may not exceed applicable county environmental noise limits and may not produce more than 50 dBA during the day or 45 dBA at night at occupied residential buildings or defined sensitive receivers.

Pure tones are restricted when the one-third-octave sound level exceeds the specified limits above adjacent frequency bands: 5 dB at 500 Hz or higher, 8 dB from 160 through 400 Hz, or 15 dB at 125 Hz or lower.

Noise compliance measurements must use calibrated Type 1 equipment, specified weighting and recording settings, and a 15-minute averaging interval, with measurements taken no closer than 100 feet from an adjacent property line.

Before receiving a certificate of completion or occupancy, the applicant must submit a noise-test report prepared by a noise-control engineering professional. The applicant must pay the testing and reporting costs.

The county may require the applicant to install a noise-reduction barrier or device when testing shows noncompliance, with the applicant responsible for the compliance expense.

Equipment used in a commercial cryptocurrency-mining operation must be housed in a metered, electrically grounded, pre-engineered metal structure with a fire rating resisting an internal electrical fire for at least 30 minutes and with fire-activated baffles that operate independently of possible electrical failure.

A commercial cryptocurrency-mining data center must obtain and maintain successful SOC 2 certification, provide validation to the county within 13 months after beginning operation, and provide validation annually thereafter.

Activities producing air, dust, smoke, glare, exhaust, heat, or humidity must be conducted so those effects are not perceptible at or beyond the property line.

ISO shipping containers or similar housing for commercial cryptocurrency mining may not be vertically combined to exceed nine feet in height.

Each commercial cryptocurrency-mining or data-mining operation must provide emergency-contact signage visible at the access entrance, identifying the company if applicable, owner or representative, telephone number, and local power company telephone number.

The operation must be set back at least 1,000 feet from any residential structure, measured in a straight line from the closest corner of the residential structure to the closest corner of the mining or data-mining structure.

The site must have a fence at least six feet high made of solid or vision-blocking material.

Before approval of the certificate of completion or occupancy, the applicant must obtain written verification from the electrical service provider that adequate capacity exists, the utility infrastructure can safely accommodate the use, and the operation will not cause electrical interference or voltage fluctuations; the applicant must also provide verification that the electrical work passed a third-party final inspection.

A commercial cryptocurrency-mining operation that is not operated continuously for 12 months and has no pending permitted-use application at the end of that period is deemed abandoned. The owner must remove the facilities within a reasonable period not exceeding three months after notice, or the governing authority may remove them and place a lien on the property for removal costs.

Each violation is a separate violation, and the code enforcement officer may issue a warning or citation. A violation may result in a fine of up to $1,000.

Existing commercial cryptocurrency mining operations are grandfathered: operations in place before the chapter’s effective date do not have to comply with its requirements unless the owner requests a replacement, alteration, or expansion. Existing operations are not required to meet the requirements under those conditions.