Surry County enacts 60-day data center development moratorium
Surry County, North Carolina, has enacted a 60-day moratorium on data center development approvals. This pause will allow officials to draft amendments to local ordinances, addressing concerns about high-impact facilities' energy, water, and noise. The county currently has no applications but aims to be prepared for future proposals.
Surry County, North Carolina, commissioners recently enacted a 60-day moratorium on new data center development approvals. The decision stems from officials' concerns that existing county ordinances are inadequate for regulating "high-impact facilities" like data centers, citing issues such as high energy and water consumption, as well as noise pollution.
County Attorney Howard Jones clarified that the moratorium is not an outright ban but a temporary pause to allow staff to develop suitable amendments to local development ordinances. Although Surry County currently has no pending data center applications, officials want to establish a robust regulatory framework in anticipation of future proposals, similar to other North Carolina municipalities that have implemented similar moratoriums. Commissioners are scheduled to review the drafted amendments at a meeting on June 15, where they will decide whether to hold a public hearing or extend the moratorium.