Jefferson County P&Z Approves Data Center Regulations
Date Posted: March 24, 2026
Posted In: News,
From Leader Publications: The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission on March 12 unanimously passed regulations for data centers built in unincorporated portions of the county.
The regulations will now be taken up for consideration and final approval or denial by the County Council, likely at its April 13 regular meeting.
County Services Director Mitch Bair said the regulations, which would be added to the county’s Unified Development Order, provide the county with a “proactive, enforceable regulatory framework” on data centers that will protect residents.
“(The regulations) are obviously being driven by the increasing interest in data centers, both nationally, regionally and especially locally,” Bair said. “The approach was predicated in a responsible, forward-looking manner, focused on protecting adjoining land uses and residents.”
A data center is defined in the county’s regulations as a facility used for the housing, management, processing, transmission or storage of data through servers and related equipment. These centers can be large, like Google’s “hyperscale” data center in The Dalles, Ore., which is 1.3 million square feet, or 22 football fields, and employs about 200 operators.
A hyperscale data center uses thousands of servers and advanced networking to process enormous amounts of data. The system relies on high-speed networks, a powerful cooling system to manage heat output and automated software to continually run the system, according to Fortinet, a global cybersecurity company.
In October 2025, County Executive Dennis Gannon said he was ready to welcome data centers to Jefferson County, comparing the technology to landmark innovations like railroads and interstate systems.