A moratorium on data centers was placed by the Pike County Board of Commissioners on September 10, 2025, while county staff and the Planning and Zoning Board reviewed data-center regulations; the sources do not specify an end date.

Data centers are allowed only through special use permits in M-1 and M-2 manufacturing districts, rather than as automatically permitted uses. The process includes public hearings, a Planning and Zoning Board recommendation, and a final decision by the Board of Commissioners.

A data center must be located on a lot of at least 10 acres.

A 50-foot planted or natural buffer is required along the entire property perimeter adjoining residentially zoned property. The County may require additional plantings if the buffer is considered inadequate.

All structures must be at least 100 feet from property lines and 500 feet from habitable structures. A 150-foot stream buffer and all state wetland buffers also apply.

Applicants must obtain letters from all utility providers during the special-use-permit process confirming adequate service or identifying required improvements. The applicant or developer must pay for and complete all upgrades before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Data centers must use a public water system; private wells are prohibited.

All cooling and ventilation equipment must operate on a closed-loop system.

Data centers must be located on U.S. Highway 41 or within a platted industrial park. For a corner or double-frontage lot on U.S. Highway 41, access may be only from the state-highway frontage, and entrances on county roads are prohibited except for internal roads in a platted industrial park.

Noise may not exceed 65 decibels at the external property boundary adjoining a residential dwelling. The County may require a post-occupancy sound study; violations may result in a notice requiring correction within 30 days, followed by revocation of the certificate of occupancy if the violation is not corrected.

A decommissioning bond is required before a certificate of occupancy is issued. The bond must be sufficient to restore the site to its predevelopment condition, as determined by an independent professional engineer licensed in Georgia.

On-site generators must be enclosed by sound barriers with acoustic-damping features and placed only in side or rear yards. Generator testing is limited to 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and generators may be used only during an emergency.

Exterior lighting must use cutoff and fully shielded fixtures that direct light downward and inward, away from adjacent roads and properties.

Battery systems must have dedicated, automatic, monitored fire-suppression systems connected to an alarm system and designed for the thermal-runaway, fire, and explosion hazards of the specific battery chemistry. The systems must comply with state regulations.

Before a certificate of occupancy is issued, the operator must file an Emergency Response Plan with the Pike County Fire Department, EMA, and Sheriff's Office. The plan must address site equipment locations, 24-hour contacts, energy-storage hazards, shutdown and ventilation procedures, firefighting and spill containment, evacuation and staging, water supply, and agency coordination.

Data centers are authorized as principal uses eligible for special-use permits in both M-1 light-manufacturing and M-2 manufacturing districts, allowing them to be proposed and developed in those districts if the applicable requirements are met.

A 90-day moratorium on data centers was approved to allow the county to develop regulations. 90-day moratorium

Data centers are allowed in M-1 and M-2 districts only through a special use permit, rather than as a permitted use by right. permitted as special use permits

The proposed text amendment requires two readings before final approval, creating an additional approval step before the regulations take effect. two readings before final approval

A data center must be located on a minimum lot of 10 acres.

A 50-foot planted or natural buffer is required along the entire property perimeter where it adjoins residentially zoned property, with the county able to require additional plantings.

Structures must be at least 100 feet from property lines and 500 feet from habitable structures; streams require a 150-foot buffer, and state wetland buffers must be observed.

Applicants must obtain letters from all utility providers confirming adequate service or identifying required improvements; the applicant or developer must pay for and complete those improvements before a certificate of occupancy.

Data centers must use a public water system; private wells are prohibited.

All cooling and ventilation equipment must operate on a closed-loop system.

Data centers may be located only on U.S. Highway 41 or within a platted industrial park. On corner or double-frontage lots along U.S. Highway 41, access must be from the state highway frontage, and county-road entrances are prohibited except for internal roads in a platted industrial park.

Operations may not exceed 65 decibels at the external property boundary next to a residential dwelling. The county may require a post-occupancy sound study; violations receive a 30-day correction period, after which the certificate of occupancy may be revoked.

A decommissioning bond must be posted before a certificate of occupancy in an amount sufficient to restore the site to its predevelopment condition, as determined by an independent Georgia-licensed professional engineer.

On-site generators must be inside sound barriers with acoustic damping, located only in side or rear yards, tested only from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and used only during emergencies.

Exterior lighting must use cutoff and fully shielded fixtures that direct light downward and toward the interior of the property, away from roads and neighboring properties.

Battery systems must have dedicated, automatic, monitored fire-suppression systems connected to an alarm system and designed for the specific battery chemistry and its thermal-runaway, fire, and explosion hazards.

Before a certificate of occupancy, the operator must file an emergency response plan with the county Fire Department, EMA, and Sheriff's Office covering site equipment locations, emergency contacts, hazards and safety data sheets, shutdown procedures, firefighting and spill containment, evacuation and water supplies, and agency coordination.

Allows data centers as a special-use-permit use in both M-1 and M-2 industrial districts, providing a regulatory pathway for approval subject to the permit process.

Permits data centers to be located on U.S. Highway 41 or within a platted industrial park; access must generally be from the state highway, while county-road entrances are allowed only for internal roads in a platted industrial park.

Requires utility providers to state during the special-use-permit process whether adequate service is available or what improvements are needed, helping establish infrastructure requirements before development proceeds; the applicant or developer must pay for and complete those improvements before receiving a certificate of occupancy.