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.
City of Wausau
Anti-Data Center Policies
Wausau limits data centers to medium- and heavy-industrial districts, requiring a conditional use permit, a 200-foot residential buffer, and detailed resource and impact reports.
current law · City of WausauWausau's ordinance index lists Ordinance No. 61-4057-751, adopted July 14, 2026, to define and create data-center regulations.City of Wausau Data Center Zoning Ordinance (2026)
What this means
The rules limit data centers to medium- and heavy-industrial districts and require a conditional use permit, a 200-foot buffer from residentially zoned property, and detailed reports on water, wastewater, sound, energy, and sustainability (permit and application requirements). These conditions could rule out some sites and add cost and delay, creating significant barriers, though they do not ban data centers outright.
People behind it
- Sarah Watson
Alder proposing 200-foot requirement
- Bruce Trueblood
Alder requesting reconsideration
- Carrie Edmondson
Assistant City Planner
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements3
Reported industrial-only siting: allowed only in medium and heavy industrial districts, with a conditional-use permit.
Reported 200-foot separation from residentially zoned property.
Reported water, wastewater, sound, energy and permit reports, plus a sustainability plan. Operative ordinance text unavailable.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions2
Reported permitting pathway: conditional-use permits for stand-alone facilities.
Reported scope exclusion for server rooms supporting another primary use.
Sources
pending · Town of WausauThis entry concerns the Town of Wausau's data-center-specific zoning amendment, not the City of Wausau or a countywide rule.Town of Wausau Data Center Zoning Ordinance (2026)
What this means
Data centers would be allowed only in the manufacturing district and require a conditional use permit, with strict limits on setbacks, height, and noise (only in the town’s manufacturing district). Developers must also provide impact and water studies and prove utilities can handle the demand, making projects substantially harder, though not impossible (submit an environmental and community impact analysis).
People behind it
- Matt Baer
Town chairman; moves to approve the Data Center Ordinance.
- Steve Buntin
Town supervisor; seconds the adoption motion.
- Marathon County Environmental Resources Committee
Forwards the ordinance to the full board on September 29.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements5
Data centers are confined to the manufacturing district and require a conditional use permit.
Buildings require 200-foot property-line setbacks, parking requires 100-foot setbacks, structures are capped at 35 feet, and property-boundary noise is limited to 60 decibels.
Developers must submit an environmental and community impact analysis before any public hearing.
Private-well facilities need a water feasibility study mapping wells within 1,000 feet and geology within a mile.
Occupancy requires utility-capacity verification and a showing that cooling will not negatively impact the surrounding region.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions1
The measure provides a conditional permitting route rather than an outright ban: data centers could be built only in the town’s manufacturing district and only with a conditional use permit.
Sources
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