Ransom Twp. officials pass data center ordinance | 28/22 News
Ransom Township supervisors in Lackawanna County passed a 40-page ordinance regulating future data center applications. The rules establish limits on building height and noise and guide data center development away from roads and nearby homes, while a previously denied project remains in litigation.
Ransom Township supervisors approved a 40-page data center ordinance nearly a year after denying a proposed project in the township. The ordinance defines data centers and establishes development standards intended to protect residents’ health and safety, including limits on building height and noise.
The rules also direct large-scale data center development toward locations that are less visible from roads and neighboring homes. Although Pennsylvania law prevents municipalities from imposing an outright ban on data centers, local governments can regulate where such facilities may be built. The previously rejected Ransom Township project remains in litigation in Lackawanna County.