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.
New Castle Township
Anti-Data Center Policies
New Castle Township permits data centers only by conditional approval in a designated zone, with hearings and safeguards; a reported six-month development pause adds a temporary barrier.
current law · New Castle TownshipNew Castle Township, Schuylkill County, approves data-center zoning amendments on May 5, 2026 by a 2–0 vote, with one abstention.Pennsylvania New Castle Township Data Center Zoning Ordinance (2026)
What this means
The ordinance allows data centers only as a conditional use in a designated zone, with a hearing and requirements such as setbacks, noise limits, environmental studies, and developer-paid reviews (conditional-use and development rules). These limits and the reported six-month development pause create significant barriers, although they do not ban data centers outright (six-month legal freeze).
Timing
- Ends
- unknown
The May zoning amendments are distinct from the earlier six-month development freeze described in reporting. No sunset is identified in the retrieved reports; final legislative text was not retrieved, so expiration provisions remain unknown. Source: https://www.republicanherald.com/2026/08/31/for-now-new-castle-twp-ordinance-has-kept-data-center-development-at-bay/#:~:text=supervisors%20declared%20a%20six%2Dmonth%20legal%20freeze
People behind it
- Donald Karpowich
Attorney who drafted the zoning amendments.
- New Castle Township Board of Supervisors
Approved the zoning amendments.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements10
Data centers are permitted as conditional uses in a new Highway Industrial district along Interstate 81, requiring a hearing before the supervisors. Conditional use and hearing
The ordinance requires a 200-foot setback from property lines. 200-foot setback
Building height is capped at 80 feet. 80-foot cap
Nighttime noise is limited to 55 decibels. 55-decibel limit
Developers must use closed-loop water systems. Closed-loop water systems
Developers must meet ordinance requirements concerning woodland disturbance, lighting, sewer, and emergency response plans. Listed development regulations
Studies must be completed before a development is approved. Studies before approval
Developers must pay for environmental, legal, and engineering reviews and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection permit applications. Developer-paid reviews and permit applications
A 180-day moratorium temporarily paused data-center development while the township prepared zoning rules. 180-day moratorium
State law allows a municipality to use a development pause for curative amendments only once every three years; New Castle could not pause development again until 2029. Pause limit and 2029 date
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions1
Creates a Highway Industrial zoning district near Interstate 81 where data centers may be approved as a conditional use, subject to a hearing before the supervisors and the ordinance’s requirements.
Sources
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