Requires county approval before a data center may be constructed, expanded, or operated.

Requires public review and a public hearing as part of the data-center approval process.

Restricts data-center locations through zoning, site-layout, setback, buffering, and screening requirements.

Requires applicants to submit plans addressing utilities, water use, drainage, traffic, emergency access, and other infrastructure impacts.

Requires data centers to use only closed-loop cooling systems.

Prohibits discharge of cooling water into public sewers or onto the ground unless the water is treated.

Requires an independent third-party hydrogeologic study estimating annual water use and comparing it with the prior property user or similar surrounding areas before issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

Requires a utility-provider letter of intent confirming preliminary coordination and the feasibility of electrical service, subject to final engineering, before issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

Imposes operating requirements for noise, security, fencing, landscaping, backup generators, and other equipment.

Requires exterior lighting to use full-cutoff, fully shielded fixtures with zero uplight, preserve existing night-sky darkness, and prevent light trespass; lighting must be at least four times its mounting height from adjacent property lines, no higher than 20 feet above finished grade, and no more than 0.05 footcandles at ground level along property lines adjoining residential uses.

Requires financial assurances or other measures for decommissioning and removing a data center if it is abandoned or ceases operation.

Makes data-center applicants responsible for specified application, review, inspection, and related permitting costs.

Allows county or authorized-agent inspections at times and intervals determined by the county to verify compliance.

Treats violations as infractions, with each day or incident constituting a separate violation.

Allows fines of up to $1,000 per day for continuing violations, in addition to other relief permitted by Georgia law.

Allows data centers as a permitted use in designated zoning districts, subject to the ordinance’s approval requirements.

Provides an expedited or administrative permitting process for qualifying data-center projects instead of requiring a separate legislative zoning change.

Allows an applicant or data-center owner, before receiving a certificate of occupancy, to submit a letter of intent from the applicable utility provider confirming preliminary coordination and the feasibility of utility service, subject to final engineering.

Permits data centers to use public sewer service when available.

Allows data centers to operate closed-loop cooling systems, subject to the ordinance’s water-use standards.

Allows electrical and energy infrastructure serving a data center, subject to the ordinance’s electrical and energy standards.

Provides compliance and enforcement procedures allowing a data center to continue operating while violations are addressed through notice, corrective action, or other specified enforcement steps.