Data centers and other data management or processing facilities require a Special Use Permit approved by the Board of Commissioners; none are permitted by right. All data management and processing uses shall require approval.

A data center must be located along the I-20 corridor, defined as within two miles of an I-20 interchange or right-of-way, and cannot be within one-half mile of a high-capacity transit stop. A data management or processing facility shall be located along the I-20 corridor.

Minimum setbacks apply: 500 feet from residentially zoned or used property, 300 feet from commercial property, 150 feet from industrial property, 1,000 feet from sensitive uses, and 750 feet from water resources; the most restrictive applicable setback controls. Where multiple adjacencies exist, the most restrictive setback shall apply.

A facility must provide a utility service agreement or evidence of electric-utility approval and generally must be within 1,000 feet of existing public water and sanitary sewer infrastructure with adequate capacity. Extensions beyond 1,000 feet solely to serve the facility are prohibited unless approved by the Board of Commissioners. All data management and processing uses shall provide a service agreement.

Facility size and power are capped: micro facilities at 150,000 square feet and 15 acres, standard facilities at 250,000 square feet and 50 acres, high-intensity facilities at 400,000 square feet and 100 acres, campuses at 750,000 square feet, total power at 150 MW, and each phase at 25 MW. Projects over 50 MW require additional review. Building Size.

Required buffers include a 100-foot landscaped buffer and an eight-foot sound-attenuating wall along residential property, a 40-foot buffer along commercial property, a 25-foot buffer along industrial property, and a 50-foot buffer along rights-of-way. A minimum 100-foot-wide landscaped buffer.

Mechanical equipment must be fully screened on all sides. Ground-mounted equipment adjacent to residential property must be separated from it by a principal building and otherwise is not permitted there; loading bays may be located on only one building façade. Mechanical Equipment shall be fully screened on all sides.

Cooling systems must use closed-loop technology and may not use evaporative cooling. Wash water and stormwater must be discharged to an approved on-site wastewater treatment system, and paved areas must drain into that system. A closed-loop system shall not use evaporative cooling.

Facilities must install enhanced fire and containment systems, including active clean-agent suppression, high-sensitivity smoke detectors, an exterior emergency electrical shutoff, and individually metered, grounded, metal-encased structures rated to resist an internal electrical fire for at least 30 minutes; a Georgia-licensed engineer must design the systems. An active clean agent fire protection system shall be provided.

Containment spaces may not exceed 120°F, routine inspection or work is prohibited above 90°F, facilities may not create adverse impacts, and noise measured at a property line may not exceed 65 dB during the day or 55 dB at night. No data management or processing use shall produce a noise level exceeding.

Generators must meet at least EPA Tier 4 emission standards, have sound attenuation, and be used only for backup or emergencies except during testing or commissioning. Testing is limited to 10 hours per month and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Applications require additional technical materials, including a utility letter of intent, noise impact assessment, water-consumption and sustainability plan, energy-consumption and sustainability plan, and transmission-line impact assessment. Facilities over 50 MW and high-intensity facilities require additional studies. Additional studies required for facilities exceeding 50 MW or High Intensity facilities.

The owner or operator must submit an annual compliance report by January 1 documenting continued compliance with approved plans, assessments, and zoning conditions. The owner or operator shall submit an annual compliance report by January 1.

Stormwater permitting is required for development creating 1,000 square feet or more of impervious cover, involving 5,000 square feet or more of other land-development activity, forming part of a larger common plan, or designated as a hotspot land use. creation of 1,000 square feet.

Stormwater applications generally require a concept plan, stormwater management plan, applicable green-infrastructure feasibility form, inspection and maintenance agreement, performance bond when applicable, and review fees.

Stormwater standards require runoff reduction or treatment for the first 1.2 inches of rainfall, stream-channel protection, attenuation of the 25-year storm, and safe conveyance of the 100-year storm. Redevelopment affecting more than 35 percent of the previously developed area is evaluated across the entire development. runoff reduction of the first 1.2 inches.

Private stormwater facilities require permanent maintenance access, recorded inspection and maintenance agreements binding successors, engineer-certified as-built plans, and ongoing inspections, including an annual inspection attested to by a professional engineer.

A separate land-disturbance permit is required for clearing, grading, excavation, filling, storage, parking, driveways, stormwater facilities, sidewalks, and other improvements, even when the work is associated with a building permit.

A major land-disturbance permit is required for projects involving at least one acre of disturbance, more than 5,000 square feet of added, removed, or replaced impervious surface, or at least one acre of grubbing. County permits cannot be issued until required external-agency approvals and water and wastewater provider acceptance are obtained.

Land-disturbing projects generally require erosion, sedimentation, and pollution-control plans, applicable state permits or notices, fees of up to $80 per acre, and potentially a bond of up to $3,000 per acre. Permits may be denied after two or more prior violations within the preceding three years.

Land-disturbing activity is generally prohibited within a 25-foot buffer along state waters and a 50-foot buffer along trout streams, unless an authorized variance or specified crossing exception applies.

Development disturbing land in a future-conditions floodplain generally requires a licensed-professional-engineer study, including step-backwater analysis, floodplain-storage calculations, and identification of encroachments. Significant physical changes may require CLOMR/CLOMA and later LOMR submissions.

Nonresidential construction in a future-conditions floodplain is prohibited unless required elevation or approved floodproofing, flood-resistant construction, protected utilities, and flood-damage-reduction standards are met. Encroachments into a regulatory floodway are prohibited except for qualifying bridges, culverts, roadways, and utilities supported by no-rise engineering analysis.

A traffic study is required during land-disturbance-permit review for a nonresidential use exceeding a 200,000-square-foot footprint or generating more than 100 peak-hour trips. non-residential use that exceeds a footprint of 200,000 square feet.

Parking and loading facilities must be completed, landscaped, and ready for use before a certificate of occupancy. Uses not listed in the parking table receive a requirement determined by the Director of Planning and Development, and covered uses exceeding 5,000 square feet must provide loading space.

Development impact fees apply, are assessed at building-permit application, and must be paid by building-permit issuance. If the use is not listed in the fee schedule, the administrator determines the applicable category and fee or may establish a new category subject to later Board confirmation.

Before plat recordation, building-permit issuance, or project closeout, applicants must provide required guarantees or sureties. Performance guarantees may equal 1.5 times outstanding improvement costs, public-improvement maintenance guarantees equal 60 percent of construction value, and stormwater maintenance guarantees equal $5 per cubic foot of facility storage, generally for 24 months.

Utilities must generally be installed underground, except major electric transmission lines and substations. Buildings must generally connect to public sewer and potable water when available within 1,000 feet, unless the applicable authority approves an alternative.

A certificate of occupancy is required before a building or use may be occupied. Building permits expire after six months without a requested inspection or after six months between inspection requests.

Nonstormwater discharges and pollutants into the County separate storm sewer system are prohibited. Known or suspected pollutant releases must be contained and reported within 24 hours, followed by written confirmation within three business days; commercial or industrial operators must retain discharge records for at least three years.

If a data center requires rezoning or a Special Use Permit, it is subject to public-hearing, notice, review-body, and Board of Commissioners procedures. After denial, a successive rezoning or Special Use Permit application generally cannot be filed for 12 months, subject to a possible reduction but not below six months.

Projects meeting Georgia Department of Community Affairs thresholds for a Development of Regional Impact are subject to the DRI review process, with the County serving as submitting agency and authorized to impose conditions based on the DRI decision.

Data centers are an expressly recognized use subject to a Special Use Permit, providing a defined approval pathway.

A data center must generally be within 1,000 feet of existing public water and sanitary sewer infrastructure with adequate capacity; the Board of Commissioners may approve extensions beyond 1,000 feet.

Applicants may support utility approval with a service agreement or evidence of electric-utility approval and a utility letter of intent confirming preliminary technical feasibility.

Lawfully issued permits and development approvals existing before July 1, 2026, remain valid while unexpired and while construction or use follows the permit; later discretionary changes must comply with the current UDO.

Previously approved rezonings, special use permits, variances, and approval conditions remain valid, with a specific prior approval condition controlling if it conflicts with the new UDO.

A complete data-center-related application received before July 1, 2026, may proceed under the prior regulations at the applicant's option, subject to the transitional provisions.

Related applications may also be reviewed under the prior ordinance when one complete project application was timely filed, if the same applicant remains involved, the project substantially conforms to vested plans, filing deadlines are met, and other conditions apply.

Data centers may use backup or emergency generators if they meet EPA Tier 4 standards and comply with limits on testing, sound attenuation, testing hours, and annual compliance reporting.

Impact fees may be determined through an individual assessment study rather than the standard fee schedule when the applicant provides relevant engineering or planning data; the approved assessment remains valid for 180 days.

Developers may make construction, property, or other in-kind contributions for eligible system improvements instead of, or as a credit against, impact fees, and may establish alternative payment schedules with acceptable security.

Impact-fee credits may be granted for eligible construction, land dedications, or monetary contributions toward improvements in the same public-facility category and service area, subject to County approval and applicable limits.

Required public or private improvements may be deferred through a performance guarantee instead of being completed before final plat approval or a certificate of occupancy; the guarantee generally must be 1.5 times the verified cost and may last no more than 12 months.

A project may use an off-site or regional stormwater facility instead of relying entirely on on-site controls if it is legally dedicated, provides equal or greater control, has long-term maintenance responsibility, and avoids specified adverse impacts.

County and external-agency reviews for a land-disturbance permit may occur concurrently, although the County cannot issue the permit until required external approvals are obtained.

A land-disturbance permit may receive one written extension of up to six months if requested no later than 30 days after expiration.

A land-disturbance permit does not expire for delays caused by the County or an external review authority when the delay is outside the applicant's control.

A development may be exempt from public sewer or potable-water connection requirements when the applicable connection is unavailable within 1,000 feet of the property line, subject to approval of an alternative private system or facility by the appropriate agency.

The Director of Planning and Development may grant limited administrative variances for setbacks, buffers, parking, loading, buffering, screening, and certain operating hours, subject to stated caps and without eliminating the underlying standard.

A lawful nonconforming use may continue after new restrictions are adopted unless it is discontinued for 12 continuous months, subject to the ordinance's exceptions and limits on enlargement or increased nonconformity.

A nonconforming building or structure damaged by fire or another cause may generally be reconstructed with its prior nonconforming characteristics if completed within one year, unless damage exceeds 60 percent of fair market value, subject to separate residential-use rules.

Rebuilding the same number of development units after demolition or catastrophe, remodeling or repairing without increasing units, and replacing a residential unit on the same property are excluded from development subject to impact fees.

A moratorium on data centers was extended through September 8, 2026, delaying qualifying development while the County gathers public input and revises its ordinances.

Data centers must be located within two miles of an I-20 interchange or right-of-way.

Data centers may not be located within one-half mile of a high-capacity transit stop.

Data centers must meet separation distances from specified sensitive uses, including a minimum 1,000-foot setback from public or private wells, bodies of water, medical facilities, childcare facilities, schools, and places of assembly.

A data-center application is incomplete until all required materials are submitted and accepted by the County.

Applicants must provide utility-coordination documentation and a utility letter of intent confirming preliminary coordination and technical feasibility of service.

A minimum 100-foot landscaped buffer with evergreen plantings is required along all property lines.

Ground-level and rooftop mechanical equipment must be fully screened, with screening compatible with the main building design.

Applicants must provide proof of electric-utility coordination and a service agreement or other evidence of electric-utility approval.

The site must be within 500 feet of existing public water and sanitary sewer infrastructure, and the utility provider must verify adequate capacity.

Water or sewer extensions exceeding 500 feet when undertaken solely to serve the data center require approval by the Board of Commissioners.

Lighting must be limited to safety and security needs and may not spill onto adjacent properties.

Cooling and ventilation equipment must use closed-loop systems that reuse and recycle water.

Wastewater and stormwater runoff, including drainage from paved areas, must be discharged to an approved on-site wastewater treatment system approved by Stormwater Management.

Every proposed data center must undergo a noise-impact assessment evaluating noise 500 feet from the development, existing and projected noise levels, and mitigation measures.

Generators must meet EPA New Source Performance Standards and at least Tier 4 emission standards.

Generators may be used only for backup or emergency purposes, except during testing or commissioning, and generator testing logs must be included in the annual compliance report.

Applicants must submit a water-consumption and sustainability plan addressing total and cooling-water demand, drought and water scarcity, public-service impacts, conservation, alternative water sources, and low-water or water-free cooling technologies.

Applicants must submit an energy-consumption and sustainability plan addressing estimated and projected electrical demand, peak demand, local power-infrastructure impacts, transmission-line needs, sustainable operations, and decommissioning and recycling of electronic infrastructure.

Applicants must submit a transmission-line impact assessment identifying proposed transmission-line or substation upgrades, environmental and public-land tree-removal impacts, and substation locations and screening; substations visible from public view require an eight-foot wall or fence.

Applicants must submit a decommissioning and recycling plan.

Owners or operators must submit an annual compliance report by January 1 documenting continued compliance with approved plans, assessments, zoning conditions, and operational requirements.

Development remains subject to the County's multi-department land-disturbance permitting process, including stormwater, planning, transportation, water-resources, fire, and applicable health reviews, with revisions required until technical requirements are satisfied before construction can begin.

Data centers are allowed by right under the existing zoning ordinance, so applicants do not need a rezoning; they proceed through compliance reviews and submit a preliminary plat to the Planning Commission for approval.

Imposes a temporary moratorium on accepting, processing, or approving applications for new data centers, expansions of existing data centers, and other data-center-related development requiring County approval.

Data centers, high-intensity data-processing facilities, and colocation or micro-data facilities require a special use permit in districts where they are listed and must comply with supplemental use standards.

Data-management or processing facilities must be at least 1,000 feet from residentially zoned or used property, private or public wells or bodies of water, medical facilities, childcare facilities, schools, and places of assembly.

Data-management or processing facilities must be within two miles of an I-20 interchange or right-of-way and may not be within one-half mile, or 2,640 feet, of a high-capacity transit stop.

Applicants must provide evidence of electric-utility approval or a service agreement and locate facilities within 500 feet of existing public water and sanitary-sewer infrastructure with adequate capacity. Utility extensions beyond 500 feet solely to serve a facility are prohibited unless approved by the Board of Commissioners.

Applications must include a utility letter of intent confirming preliminary coordination with each relevant utility provider.

A minimum 100-foot landscaped evergreen buffer must be maintained along every property line, including public-road frontages, with an eight-foot sound-attenuating wall designed to provide at least five decibels of sound reduction.

Ground-level and rooftop mechanical equipment must be fully screened on all sides, and ground-mounted equipment generally may not be placed next to residentially zoned or used property unless separated by a principal building.

Cooling and ventilation systems must use closed-loop cooling without evaporative cooling unless an alternative system is approved. Wash water and stormwater from paved areas must be discharged to an approved on-site wastewater treatment system.

Data centers must install active clean-agent fire suppression, high-sensitivity smoke detectors, an exterior emergency electricity-termination switch, and individually metered, grounded, metal-encased equipment structures with at least a 30-minute internal electrical-fire rating and automatically closing fire baffles.

Data-center containment areas may not exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and personnel may not regularly inspect or work inside them when temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Data-center operations may not exceed 65 decibels during the day or 55 decibels at night at any property line.

Each proposed data-center development must submit a noise-impact assessment evaluating sound levels 500 feet from the development, measuring pre-operation ambient noise, and identifying mitigation if projected operational noise exceeds 60 decibels during any hour.

Generators must meet at least EPA Tier 4 emission standards, be enclosed for sound attenuation and pollution reduction, and operate only for backup or emergency purposes except during testing or commissioning. Testing is limited to 10 hours per month between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with testing logs required in an annual compliance report.

Applications must include a water-consumption and sustainability plan addressing cooling demand, drought vulnerability, effects on public services, conservation and alternative-water strategies, and low-water or water-free cooling technologies.

Applications must include an energy-consumption and sustainability plan addressing peak electrical demand, transmission impacts, sustainable operations, on-site renewable or sustainable systems offsetting at least 10 percent of total power or water usage, and electronic-infrastructure decommissioning and recycling procedures.

Applications must include a transmission-line impact assessment identifying required transmission lines or substations, environmental effects such as tree removal, and screening for proposed substations, including an eight-foot wall or fence where visible from public view.

Owners or operators must submit an annual compliance report by January 1 documenting continued compliance with approved plans, assessments, and zoning conditions.

The proposed data-center campus may not apply for land-disturbance or building permits until the preliminary-plat process is complete. The preliminary plat must show all construction phases and a potential schedule for each phase.

For the proposed 282.15-acre campus, a natural undisturbed buffer of at least 125 feet is required along residentially zoned properties and public roadways, subject to enhancement and County approval.

For the proposed campus, buildings must use brick, stacked stone, and/or glass on all sides, with final elevations submitted for County review before land-disturbance-permit approval.

For the proposed campus, structures are generally limited to 85 feet in height, including mechanical equipment, except for elevator shafts and elevator equipment.

For the proposed campus, noise may not exceed 55 decibels at the property line at any time. Generator testing is limited to two hours per week between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and a peak-operating noise assessment must be submitted within three months after operations begin.

For the proposed campus, the applicant must submit a water-consumption plan demonstrating that data-center and cooling needs will not significantly strain County water-supply and wastewater systems.

For the proposed campus, generators may operate only for testing and emergencies, must be screened and separated from nearby residential properties, and must use low-emissions Tier 4-certified natural-gas generators unless Fire Rescue and Planning and Development approve other options.

The proposed campus must meet stormwater requirements, including a stormwater pollution-prevention plan, treatment of the first 1.2 inches of runoff or equivalent 80-percent total-suspended-solids removal, predevelopment peak-discharge limits for 2-, 10-, and 25-year storms, secondary containment for fuel and oil equipment, recorded stormwater-operation agreements, quarterly outfall inspections, and immediate spill notification.

The proposed campus requires a decommissioning plan contingent on the updated Unified Development Ordinance.

Land-disturbing activities associated with development require land-disturbance and erosion, sedimentation, and pollution-control permits, approved plans, applicable fees, and potentially a bond of up to $3,000 per acre or fraction of an acre.

Before issuance of applicable permits, applicants must satisfy stormwater, erosion, floodplain, subdivision, and other Unified Development Ordinance requirements.

Projects creating at least 1,000 square feet of impervious cover or involving at least 5,000 square feet of other land-development activity, as well as projects within a larger common plan of development, are subject to stormwater standards and must submit professionally sealed plans, supporting documents, review fees, and performance bonds when required.

Owners remain responsible for operating, inspecting, repairing, and maintaining private stormwater facilities, including annual professional-engineer inspections and maintenance records; the County may perform corrective work at the owner's expense.

If development would alter protected wetlands or jurisdictional waters, the County may not issue the land-disturbance permit until the required federal Section 404 permit or Letter of Permission is obtained.

Land development is generally prohibited within a 50-foot undisturbed natural stream buffer and an additional 25-foot setback where impervious cover is prohibited, unless an approved variance or listed exemption applies.

Development in a special-flood-hazard or future-conditions flood-hazard area requires a floodplain management plan, professional certifications, elevation and grading information, drainage and utility details, applicable federal and state permits, and construction-stage as-built certifications.

Construction within a regulatory floodway is prohibited, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development, except that bridges, culverts, roadways, and utilities may be allowed with licensed-engineer analyses demonstrating no increase in flood elevations, floodway elevations, or floodway widths.

A mandatory pre-construction meeting is required for development, construction, and land-disturbing activities unless waived, with the applicant, contractors, and design professional required to attend.

Projects with complete applications submitted before the resolution’s effective date may continue through the county’s review and approval process rather than being halted by the temporary restrictions.

Existing lawfully operating data centers may continue operating, including ordinary maintenance and repairs, during the resolution’s coverage period.

The UDO recognizes data centers, high-intensity data-processing facilities, and colocation or micro-data facilities as distinct land-use categories, creating a defined regulatory pathway for these projects.

Data-management and processing uses are allowed in the M-2 General Industrial District by special-use approval, providing a zoning route for data-center development.

The Future Land Use Map identifies Technology Park as a category where M-2 General Industrial zoning may be considered, supporting applicable data-center rezonings.

The PUD district allows innovative development patterns and Board-approved Overall Development Standards and an Overall Development Plan to replace conflicting base-UDO standards, subject to requirements for uses, density, height, setbacks, parking, building massing, and other standards.

PUD projects expected to take five years or longer may proceed under an approved phasing plan, accommodating large, multistage developments.

Valid and complete zoning applications submitted before the new UDO takes effect may be completed under the prior ordinance, subject to transitional requirements and limits on later changes.

Previously approved zoning conditions, special-use permits, variances, development approvals, permits, vested rights, and other lawful decisions remain valid and enforceable after the new UDO is adopted and are not deemed nonconforming solely because the ordinance changes.

When at least one related application was lawfully filed before the effective date, concurrent applications needed to complete the same development program may be reviewed under the prior ordinance at the applicant’s request, if the owner and applicant remain the same, the project remains substantially conforming, and related applications are generally filed within 24 months, subject to limited extensions and tolling.

Valid land-disturbance and building-permit applications, and previously issued permits, may proceed under the prior ordinance at the applicant’s option if the permits remain valid and construction begins and continues within applicable deadlines; later modifications must comply with the current UDO.

Projects already under construction, fully approved, scheduled for permit approval, or submitted for approval when the UDO takes effect are grandfathered from the stream-buffer ordinance. Previously approved master development plans, including phased developments, also receive this protection if approved within two years before the UDO’s effective date. Grandfathered provisions

Private streets are allowed for developments of at least 15 acres, and the Board of Commissioners may authorize them for smaller developments if specified findings are met. They remain subject to public-street construction standards, emergency-access requirements, mandatory association ownership, and private maintenance responsibilities. Private streets are allowed only if the development seeking to have private streets is fifteen (15) acres or larger

Stormwater requirements may be met through an off-site or regional facility instead of facilities located entirely on the project site, if the facility is legally dedicated, adequately sized, properly maintained, and does not create specified flooding, erosion, habitat, or water-quality impacts. manage stormwater by an off-site or regional facility

Erosion and sediment-control plan review has a 35-day approval-or-disapproval deadline, with failure to act treated as approval of the pending plan. The related land-disturbance permit generally must be issued or denied within 45 days after receipt of a completed application, subject to required approvals, fees, variances, and bonding. Failure of the County to act within 35 days shall be considered an approval

Certain smaller or limited-impact activities are exempt from stormwater-management requirements, including projects below 1,000 square feet of new impervious cover and 5,000 square feet of other land-development activity, utility installations outside stream buffers, maintenance or resurfacing of existing paved surfaces, and sidewalk additions, subject to stated conditions and other applicable permits. The following activities are exempt from this section

Developers may submit an alternative pavement design instead of using standard pavement sections. The design must be prepared by a Georgia-licensed professional engineer, use Georgia DOT asphalt procedures, be based on a 15-year pavement life, include specified traffic and soils analyses, and receive County approval. The developer may submit for review and approval an alternative pavement design