Data centers, including cryptocurrency mining facilities and AI data centers, are allowed only as conditional uses in the Industrial District; they are not permitted by right or in other zoning districts.

A data center requires conditional-use approval under the County’s conditional-use review process, including an application, required fee, preliminary site plan, Planning Commission review, and a public hearing with notice to nearby property owners and occupants.

Data centers must satisfy conditional-use findings requiring compatibility with the ordinance, the natural environment, nearby land uses, public facilities, neighboring properties, public welfare, and the County Master Plan.

Data centers require site-plan review and approval. Because they are industrial projects, they require preliminary site-plan review by the Planning Commission as well as final site-plan approval before development proceeds.

No grading, tree or vegetation removal, filling, or construction of improvements may begin for a development requiring site-plan approval until the final site plan is approved and effective.

All principal and accessory data-center structures must be compatible with the site and surrounding properties, have concrete foundations, use muted earth-tone exterior colors, remain free of defects, decay, or corrosion, and comply with the most recent relevant codes.

Before approval, the applicant must conduct a preliminary sound study through a third-party acoustic engineer, measuring baseline sound at eight property-line locations and providing sound-mitigation recommendations.

The preliminary site plan must include a building plan with noise-attenuation measures sufficient to keep the data center within the ordinance’s sound limits. Mechanical equipment must be shown on the preliminary and final site plans and fully screened on all sides.

Any addition, change, or expansion of a data-center facility must comply with the sound-mitigation requirements and be submitted to the Zoning Administrator for approval.

After completion, the applicant must conduct a post-construction noise study through a third-party acoustic engineer while mechanical equipment operates at full capacity, measure the same eight property-line locations, and submit the report to the Zoning Administrator within 30 days.

Data centers must conduct annual sound studies under the same baseline and post-construction specifications and submit each report to the Zoning Administrator within 30 days of the report date.

Sound levels from a data center may not exceed a continuous daytime level of 50 dBA or a continuous nighttime level of 45 dBA, measured at the real-property line.

Sound monitoring must use a sound-level meter calibrated at least every two years, positioned at least four feet above the ground and away from reflective surfaces, with high, average, and low readings or at least three measurements at varying times; monitoring reports must document specified measurement and equipment information.

The applicant must conduct a study by one or more third-party utility engineers and water-usage specialists addressing the data center’s effects on electricity, internet, data, water capacity, costs and speeds for other users, future resource availability, and high-load periods.

Mechanical equipment must be housed in a metered, electrically grounded, pre-engineered metal-encased structure with a fire rating capable of resisting an internal electrical fire for at least 30 minutes, and the containment space must have baffles that automatically close during a fire independently of possible electrical-system failure.

Each data center must provide a visible 24-hour emergency-contact sign at the access entrance identifying the company, owner or representative, telephone number, and local power company contact information.

No data center may be developed until the site plan is reviewed and the Zoning Administrator and County Building Code Administrator verify compliance with the data-center section, the County Zoning Ordinance, and all applicable codes.

Violations of the data-center requirements are subject to the ordinance’s enforcement provisions, including notices of violation, possible appearance tickets or legal action, misdemeanor penalties of up to $500 or 90 days’ imprisonment, separate offenses for each day of violation, and stop-work orders with a minimum $100-per-day fine for continued work.

Data centers, including cryptocurrency data-mining facilities, are allowed as conditional uses in the Industrial District, creating a zoning pathway for their development.

A compliant conditional-use application must be approved if it satisfies the ordinance’s stated standards, including compatibility, adequate public facilities, protection of neighboring uses, and consistency with the Master Plan.

The ordinance provides a defined approval process requiring site-plan review and verification by the Zoning Administrator and County Building Code Administrator rather than prohibiting data centers outright.

An existing conforming data-center structure or use may receive administrative site-plan review for an expansion or reduction of 1,000 square feet or less, instead of Planning Commission review, subject to the applicable site-plan criteria.

An approved conditional-use permit runs with the parcel and binds successors and assigns, allowing the approved data-center use to continue after a change in ownership.

The data-center regulations establish operating noise limits of 50 dBA during the day and 45 dBA at night at the property line, providing a defined maximum rather than an unrestricted nuisance standard.