Data centers are not generally permitted by right: they are allowed only as a use permitted upon appeal in the I-1 General Industrial District; uses not specifically permitted or approved upon appeal are prohibited. Data Centers therefore require approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).

A data center requires a BZA special-exception application, which carries a nonrefundable $300 application fee. BZA Special Exception Application

The BZA must approve or disapprove a special exception within 75 days after submission; failure to act within that period is deemed approval, while any disapproval must be stated in writing. Within seventy-five (75) days

New industrial construction, including a data center in I-1, requires a site plan submitted to the Land Use Administrator for review and approval, including property, zoning, structure, parking, access, and vicinity information. For all new construction of multi-family, commercial and industrial uses

I-1 data-center sites must generally meet a minimum lot area of 2 acres, 100 feet of lot width, a 75-foot front setback, a 50-foot rear setback, 50-foot side setbacks, and a 50-foot corner-lot setback. Minimum required lot area

When an I-1 site is adjacent to a residential district, the industrial property must be completely screened with evergreen vegetation or opaque screening. completely screened with evergreen vegetation or opaque screening

An industrial data center must provide off-street parking at a minimum rate of one space per 1,500 square feet of floor space, along with adequate off-street loading and unloading space. Industry. Not less than one (1) space for every 1,500 square feet

Data-center development must comply with access and visibility controls, including no access point within 10 feet of a public-road intersection, a 20-foot intersection vision-clearance area, and state or federal highway requirements imposed by TDOT or the resolution, whichever is more restrictive. No point of access shall be allowed within ten feet

Industrial zoning-compliance fees are charged at $2.95 per operational square foot, and commercial, industrial, and multi-family building permits also require a valuation-based permit fee plus a plan-review fee equal to one-half of the building-permit fee. Zoning Compliance Industrial Fee and plan review fee of one-half

Commercial and industrial data-center buildings must be permitted and constructed under the 2024 International Building Code, in addition to applicable zoning requirements. administer and enforce the 2024 edition of the International Building Code

The zoning-text amendment that added data centers as an I-1 use permitted upon appeal required public-hearing consideration and a County Commission vote. make “Data Centers” a use permitted upon appeal

Data centers are expressly listed as a use permitted upon appeal in the I-1 General Industrial District, allowing them to be developed there with approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals rather than requiring a zoning-text amendment for each project. Data Centers

The Board of Zoning Appeals must approve or disapprove a Special Exception within 75 days after submission; if it does not act within that period, the Special Exception is deemed approved. Within seventy-five (75) days

More than one structure housing a permitted use may be erected on a single lot, provided that required yards and other standards are met for each structure, supporting multi-building data-center sites after approval. more than one structure housing a permitted use

If a data center is lawfully established and later becomes nonconforming because of a zoning change, it may continue as a legal nonconformity; changes in tenancy, ownership, or management are permitted, subject to the nonconformity rules. Nonconformities are allowed to continue

A nonconforming structure housing a data center may be rebuilt to its previous level of nonconformity after damage or destruction if the Building Permit is obtained within six months of the damage or destruction. it may be rebuilt to its previous level of nonconformity