A moratorium is extended on permitting or otherwise authorizing any new data center or the expansion of an existing data center in unincorporated DeKalb County. The measure’s stated purpose is to extend this moratorium

Extends a moratorium in unincorporated DeKalb County on permitting or otherwise authorizing any new data center or the expansion of an existing data center.

Imposes a 100-day moratorium, through October 16, 2025, on permitting or otherwise authorizing new data centers or expansions of existing data centers in unincorporated DeKalb County.

A complete moratorium in unincorporated DeKalb County prohibits acceptance of applications for establishing new data centers or expanding existing ones, including applications for special land-use permits, rezonings, land-disturbance permits, building permits, business licenses, and certificates of occupancy, until March 30, 2027.

Until March 30, 2027, the County may not grant or deny licenses or permits related to establishing or expanding data centers, including special land-use permits, rezonings, land-disturbance permits, building permits, business licenses, and certificates of occupancy.

Existing data centers operating lawfully on the date of enactment may continue operating during the moratorium; this protection applies only to facilities operating lawfully when the resolution is enacted.

The proposed amendment would prohibit all data centers in Activity Centers.

Accessory data centers would be allowed only in specified O-I, OIT, NS, C-1, C-2, O-D, M, and M-2 zoning districts, and an accessory data center could occupy no more than 10 percent of a building's total floor area.

Minor and medium data centers would be permitted by right as primary uses only in Light Industrial (M) and Heavy Industrial (M-2) districts.

Minor and medium data centers in O-I or O-D districts would require a Special Land Use Permit, regardless of the future land-use designation.

Major and campus data centers would be limited to M or M-2 districts on parcels designated Light Industrial or Heavy Industrial in the future land-use plan, and would require a Special Land Use Permit.

A data center campus would be limited to a maximum improved area of 1,000,000 square feet.

Data centers in M or M-2 districts would generally be prohibited within 750 feet of a residentially or mixed-use-zoned parcel and within 500 feet of a DeKalb County park or trail. The Board of Commissioners could reduce these distances through an approved Special Land Use Permit; where an interstate, state highway, or major arterial abuts the site, the residential setback could be reduced to 300 feet along that frontage.

Major and campus data centers would be prohibited if any property line is within 2,640 feet, or one-half mile, of a high-capacity transit stop.

Major and campus data centers would have to maintain a 100-foot transitional buffer along property lines abutting nonindustrial property, plus a 20-foot landscaped buffer, an at least eight-foot-high wall, and specified canopy-tree plantings where applicable.

Data center buildings in M or M-2 districts would generally be limited to 75 feet in height, and rooftop mechanical equipment would be limited to 30 feet. A project using renewable energy to offset at least 45 percent of total energy use could increase building height to a maximum of 150 feet, subject to transitional height-plane rules.

Medium, major, and campus data centers within 300 feet of a publicly accessible road or right-of-way would have to provide ground-level fenestration covering at least 30 percent of the front facade; side and rear facades would require decorative treatment covering at least 10 percent.

The amendment would prohibit specified facade materials, including aluminum siding, corrugated steel, vinyl siding, plywood, pressed wood products, synthetic stucco, and unfinished concrete block.

Cooling and ventilation equipment would have to use a closed-loop system or other water-reducing equipment approved by the Department of Watershed Management; the defined closed-loop system could not use evaporative cooling.

Substations, electrical yards, mechanical yards, and other exposed equipment could not be placed between the primary data center building and a public road or right-of-way and would have to be screened from adjacent streets, trails, and parks.

Substations associated with data centers would be allowed only in M and M-2 districts, would have to be at least 50 feet from a public right-of-way, would require an eight-foot decorative brick-faced wall, and could not share the site with vehicle storage or service equipment.

Non-street and non-pedestrian lighting would have to use Dark Sky design, cause no spillover onto surrounding properties or streets, and use permanently black-finished lights and poles.

Data center sound levels could not exceed 65 decibels during the daytime or 55 decibels during the nighttime, measured at the property line using both A-weighted and C-weighted frequencies.

Generators would have to meet at least EPA Tier 4 emission standards, be fully enclosed in sound-attenuation walls, be tested no more than 10 hours per month and only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and have their testing documented in an annual compliance report. Except for testing or commissioning, generator use would be limited to backup or emergency use and could not continue for more than 72 consecutive hours.

Before a Special Land Use Permit application, the applicant would have to confirm in writing that it was working with the applicable utility provider; before a land-disturbance permit, it would have to provide written confirmation that the power provider agreed to provide service.

Every new data center application, including applications not requiring a Special Land Use Permit, would have to include a noise impact assessment measured 500 feet from the property line and demonstrate mitigation sufficient to meet the applicable 65-decibel daytime and 55-decibel nighttime limits.

Every new data center application would have to include a water-consumption and sustainability plan addressing total water demand, cooling, drought and scarcity risks, public-service impacts, conservation measures, alternative sources or storage, and advanced low-water or water-free cooling.

Every new data center application would have to include an energy-consumption and sustainability plan addressing preconstruction and projected operating loads, peak demand, transmission impacts, renewable-energy measures offsetting at least 10 percent of total power use, electronic-equipment recycling, decommissioning, and other resource-reduction practices.

Applications would have to include a Dark Sky lighting plan, transmission-line impact assessment, tree-preservation and reforestation plan, stormwater-management plan, and detailed sewer plan addressing flows, capacity, treatment, discharge permits, closure and disposal, and water-use-effectiveness metrics.

The County could require additional information from Watershed Management, Fire Rescue, Public Works, Code Compliance, or Planning and Sustainability before an application was deemed complete.

Owners or operators would have to submit an annual compliance report by January 1 documenting changes to and continued compliance with required assessments and zoning conditions.

Any building expansion or height increase of an existing data center would require a Special Land Use Permit.

Data centers would have to comply with the County's off-street parking requirements.

Accessory data centers may operate in O-I, OIT, NS, C-1, C-2, O-D, M, and M-2 districts, provided they occupy no more than 10% of the building’s total floor area. Accessory data centers

Minor and medium data centers may be established as primary uses by right in Light Industrial (M) and Heavy Industrial (M-2) districts, without a Special Land Use Permit. permitted as a primary use by-right

Minor and medium data centers may be located in O-I and O-D districts through the Special Land Use Permit process, creating an approval path in those districts. shall require approval of a Special Land Use Permit

Major and campus data centers may be developed in M and M-2 districts on parcels designated Light Industrial or Heavy Industrial in the future land-use plan, subject to a Special Land Use Permit. Major data centers and campus data centers shall only be permitted

A data center campus may consist of one or multiple buildings developed in one or multiple phases, with a maximum improved area of 1,000,000 square feet. one or multiple buildings built across one or multiple phases

The Board of Commissioners may reduce the required buffers from mixed-use or residential parcels, parks, and trails as part of an approved Special Land Use Permit. may be reduced by the Board of Commissioners

Medium, major, or campus data centers using renewable energy to offset at least 45% of total energy use may increase building height to as much as 150 feet, subject to transitional height-plane requirements. increase the height of a building to a maximum of one hundred fifty

Associated substations are expressly allowed in M and M-2 districts, subject to setbacks, screening, and restrictions on collocating vehicle storage or service equipment. Substations associated with the operation of a data center shall only be permitted

Minor data centers are exempt from the amendment’s additional screening requirements beyond those already required by Chapter 27, and medium data centers are also exempt from those additional requirements, reducing added site-screening obligations for those categories. shall not apply to minor or medium data centers

The ordinance permits backup or emergency generator operation, including generator testing and commissioning, subject to Tier 4 emissions standards, testing limits, enclosure requirements, and a 72-hour maximum for consecutive operation. generator use is limited to backup/emergency use only

Renewable-energy equipment and green infrastructure are exempt from the ordinance’s rooftop mechanical-equipment screening requirement. No screening shall be required for renewable energy infrastructure equipment