Specify Zoning Requirements

Local jurisdictions take different approaches to siting data centers through zoning regulations. Some jurisdictions establish Data Center Overlay districts, defining specific zones where data centers can be built and prohibiting them in other zones. Other jurisdictions specify if and where data centers fit into existing zoning districts. 

Regardless of the approach, jurisdictions should specify that data centers can only be built in areas zoned for heavy industrial activity, or create an overlay district in industrial areas only. Local governments should prohibit data center construction in residential zones, agricultural areas, commercial areas, and light industry zones where office, residential, and commercial buildings can be constructed.

If a jurisdiction must allow the development of data centers in areas zoned for light or mixed-use industry, stricter requirements and specifications should apply to those areas.

Note: Restricting data centers to industrial zones does not fully mitigate their harmful community impact. A data center’s water and energy use impacts community resources regardless of where it is sited. Air pollution from industrial zones adversely affects surrounding communities, which is particularly concerning given that industrial zones are often sited next to Black and Brown neighborhoods, or other marginalized communities. Data centers have been built or are currently planned in the Frank C. Pigeon Industrial Park in Memphis, Tennessee; the Bellwether District in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Kingsboro Industrial Park in Rocky Mount, North Carolina—all of which are located near historically Black communities.