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The Data Center Divide

Washtenaw County

Neutral Data Center Policies

Washtenaw County enacted a resolution directing staff to prepare data-center guidance, but it does not require anyone to follow it; the suggestions could add costs or delays if municipalities adopt them.

current law · County measure
Directs county staff to prepare data-center guidance for local governments and urges them to require environmental and noise studies, public hearings, clean-energy and water-use measures, and protections for residents and infrastructure.Washtenaw County Resolution No. 26-054 (2026)

What this means

The resolution directs county staff to prepare guidance, but it does not itself require data centers or local governments to follow the suggested rules. Those suggestions could add costs or delays if municipalities adopt them, but the sources do not show that they have been made mandatory.

People behind it

  • Adopted the data center resolution and directed county staff to develop outreach materials and an implementation plan.

  • Proposed an amendment to the Washtenaw County data center resolution.

  • Directed by the Board of Commissioners to develop informational materials and an outreach plan for local municipalities.

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  • Assigned to review and provide input on the county’s data center outreach materials.

  • Produced the preliminary municipal data center planning toolkit and led collaboration with local governments.

  • Sponsored the state bill endorsed by the county that would rescind $100 million in funding for the University of Michigan–Los Alamos project.

Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements13

  • Require applicants to submit water-use and water-source data, energy-use and energy-source data, an environmental impact statement, and a noise and low-frequency-vibration study before approval

  • Require at least two accessible, well-publicized public hearings before approval, with the required studies and data released beforehand

  • Require operators to publish Water Use Effectiveness measurements at least quarterly

  • Require operators to source 100% of their energy from wind, solar, battery, or geothermal sources

  • Prohibit water-wasteful evaporative cooling technology

  • Require developers and operators to pay their fair share of energy consumption exceeding their own energy sources

  • Require developers and operators to pay for grid infrastructure, including new or additional electrical substations

  • Require union agreements and local hiring targets

  • Require setbacks for data-center buildings, associated substations, and backup generators, along with noise- and low-frequency-vibration protections

  • Require developers and operators to fund extra first-responder services and initial and ongoing infrastructure costs

  • Ypsilanti imposed a 60-day emergency moratorium and a separate 365-day moratorium on data centers

  • The county encouraged local municipalities to enact data-center moratoriums

  • Saline Township's consent judgment allowed a specific data-center project to proceed only subject to conditions concerning water and sewer service, road improvements, setbacks, noise standards, decommissioning, tax-abatement cooperation, and financial contributions for farmland preservation, community projects, and fire departments.

Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions3

  • Planned unit developments (PUDs) may allow data centers to be evaluated and approved through a negotiated process instead of strict compliance with base-zoning requirements, with customized standards for issues such as water, energy, noise, setbacks, decommissioning, and workforce development.

  • Saline Township's October 2025 consent judgment allows the Related Digital data-center project to move forward, subject to conditions concerning water and sewer service, road improvements, setbacks, noise, decommissioning, tax-abatement cooperation, and financial contributions.

  • Augusta Township approved rezoning 522.2 acres for a proposed data center, while the remainder of the more-than-800-acre site was already zoned general industrial.

Sources

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