The Data Center Divide
A policy snapshot ahead of the 2026 midterms. Mapping data center incentives, restrictions, and bans through legislation, regulations, and executive actions across all 50 states and 1,462 local jurisdictions.
Champaign County
This restriction takes precedence while in effect. The rating below excludes temporary restrictions.
Mixed Data Center Policies
Champaign County has enacted an up-to-12-month approval pause for new or pending centers of 10,000-plus square feet, though descriptions also call it proposed.
Rating from Illinois statewide as there are no scored current or future laws outside temporary restrictions for Champaign County.
Specific to Champaign County only.
current law · Unincorporated areasTemporarily prohibits Champaign County from approving data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area for 12 months, holding pending projects in abeyance.Champaign County Ordinance No. 2026-9 (Case 196-AT-26), Section 5.6 Development Moratorium on Data Centers
What this means
The proposal would pause approval of data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area, including pending projects, for up to 12 months. That is a major short-term obstacle to building or expanding qualifying centers, though the measure is temporary and does not itself shut down centers already operating.
Timing
- Ends
- 12 months or 365 days after its effective date
The County Board amended the measure to establish a twelve-month moratorium, replacing the proposed nine-month period. It applies to data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area; pending applications are held in abeyance until the moratorium expires or is revoked. The preliminary memo states that an extension may be needed depending on completion of the final regulations, but no specific extension provision is stated.
People behind it
- Zoning Administrator
Petitioner and proposer of the zoning ordinance amendment establishing the data center moratorium.
- Board Member Thorsland
Introduced the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-9 and co-sponsored the amendment extending the moratorium to twelve months.
- Board Member Rodriguez
Seconded the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-9 and introduced the amendment extending the moratorium to twelve months.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements4
Temporarily prohibits data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area within Champaign County.
Bars approval of any qualifying data center proposed after the moratorium’s effective date until the moratorium expires or is revoked.
Places qualifying data centers that were pending on the moratorium’s effective date in abeyance until the moratorium expires or is revoked.
Sets the moratorium’s duration at 12 months, or 365 days, from its effective date.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions2
Data centers with less than 10,000 square feet of processing area are not covered by the moratorium and remain eligible for the existing special-use-permit process in the zoning districts where data centers are listed as authorized special uses.
The moratorium is temporary: it expires 12 months, or 365 days, after its effective date, unless it is revoked earlier. After expiration or revocation, the moratorium-based prohibition no longer applies.
Sources
current law · Unincorporated areas governed by the Champaign County Zoning OrdinanceWould temporarily pause approval of data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing space in Champaign County for up to 12 months while the county develops rules.Champaign County proposed Big Data Center Zoning Ordinance amendment (Case 196-AT-26)
What this means
The proposal would pause approvals for new or pending data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area for 12 months, making building or expanding those centers substantially harder during that time. It would not stop existing centers from operating, but data centers also face zoning approval and noise requirements.
Timing
- Ends
- 12 months, or 365 days, after its effective date
The moratorium applies to data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area, including pending and subsequently proposed developments, and may end earlier if revoked. Materials state it may need to be extended depending on how quickly the final text amendment is completed, but no formal extension condition is specified. One source describes a 6-month, or 180-day, period, creating some ambiguity; the more specific measure materials state 12 months.
People behind it
- Champaign County Board of Supervisors
Authorized the creation of the Zoning Ordinance and adopted its provisions.
- Champaign County Zoning Commission
Prepared the zoning report, held public hearings, and presented the final draft to the County Board.
- Champaign County Department of Planning and Zoning
Administers the Zoning Ordinance and related land-use regulations.
Show 3 more peopleShow fewer people
- John Hall
Zoning Administrator and Director of Planning and Zoning who proposed the amendment, administered its preparation, and drafted and presented related data-center amendments.
- Charlie Campo
Senior Planner identified as a preparer of the preliminary memorandum and proposed amendment.
- Champaign County Data Center Activities Task Force
Reviewed data-center activities and prepared recommendations for consideration by the Environment and Land Use Committee and County Board.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements12
Data centers with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area are temporarily prohibited in Champaign County.
Data centers meeting the 10,000-square-foot threshold that are pending when the moratorium takes effect must be held in abeyance and cannot be approved until the moratorium expires or is revoked.
Data centers meeting the 10,000-square-foot threshold proposed after the moratorium takes effect cannot be approved until the moratorium expires or is revoked.
The moratorium expires 12 months, or 365 days, after its effective date unless revoked earlier.
Data centers are authorized only through a Special Use Permit in the AG-2 Agriculture, B-4 General Business, and I-1 Light Industry districts; they are not listed as authorized principal uses in other districts.
A Special Use Permit requires review by the Zoning Board of Appeals, a public hearing, and findings that the data center is necessary at the proposed location, will not injure the district or public welfare, meets applicable standards, and is consistent with the zoning ordinance's purpose.
The proposed data center location must receive written approval from the applicable fire protection district.
Applicants must provide the Planning and Zoning Department with a written explanation of the data center's security features.
Data centers must comply with applicable Illinois Pollution Control Board noise regulations.
A data center within 1,500 feet of a dwelling must submit a qualified-professional noise analysis demonstrating compliance with Illinois Pollution Control Board regulations, including manufacturer sound-power data and other relevant equipment noise information.
When a data center is constructed with a photovoltaic solar array, it must be located adjacent to the solar inverter and as far as possible from property lines and adjacent dwellings, consistent with good engineering practice.
A data center Special Use Permit application is subject to the County's zoning-case filing fee, calculated using the larger of the farmland area removed from production or, if no farmland is removed, the area occupied by existing and proposed construction.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions7
Data centers are expressly authorized by Special Use Permit in the AG-2 Agriculture, B-4 General Business, and I-1 Light Industry zoning districts, providing a defined permitting pathway. Data centers by Special Use Permit
Certain B-4 and I-1 lots that already contain multiple principal buildings may add another principal building or expand an existing building through a Special Use Permit, subject to district standards and adequate open space between buildings. more than one principal structure
For a data center Special Use, the County may waive individual conditions exceeding the underlying district's minimum standards if the waiver is consistent with the ordinance and does not harm the neighborhood or public health, safety, or welfare. State and federal requirements cannot be waived. may waive any standard or requirement
Multiple big data centers may be authorized under one County Board Special Use Permit, potentially allowing a multi-building or expanded project to proceed under a single permit. Multiple BIG DATA CENTERS may be authorized under one County Board SPECIAL USE Permit.
Facilities owned or leased by one organization for its own information-technology infrastructure and co-located with that organization's other facilities are excluded from the proposed data-center definition, potentially keeping them outside data-center-specific requirements. This definition does not include facilities owned or leased by a single organization.
The moratorium applies only to facilities with at least 10,000 square feet of processing area, so smaller data centers are not subject to that moratorium; Section 5.2 continues to list data centers as an authorized principal use in specified districts subject to the applicable S designation and Section 5.6.
The temporary moratorium expires 12 months, or 365 days, after its effective date unless revoked earlier, limiting the duration of the restriction on qualifying data centers.
Sources
Data provided by Regbase · Cookie preferences · Report missing data