Skagit County proposes permanent data center rules, opens public comment
Skagit County is proposing new permanent data center regulations as part of its 2026 planning docket, which would effectively make a current moratorium permanent by limiting data centers to 2,000 square feet and two megawatts, and restricting their placement to specific industrial zones. The county is accepting public comment until August 20 and will hold a public hearing on August 18 regarding these proposed code updates.
Skagit County's Planning and Services Department is currently accepting public comments on its 2026 planning docket, which includes proposed permanent regulations for data centers. These new rules, if adopted, would define data centers, limit their maximum size to 2,000 square feet, restrict their electrical load to two megawatts, and permit their placement only in the Bayview Ridge heavy and light industrial zones.
The proposed regulations aim to essentially formalize and make permanent a six-month moratorium on data centers that the Skagit County Board of Commissioners approved on June 1. This moratorium temporarily halted the acceptance of data center permit applications in unincorporated Skagit County while permanent rules were developed. The current moratorium is set to expire in December.
Skagit County Planning Manager Robby Eckroth indicated at a July 14 Planning Commission meeting that the proposed docket would extend the moratorium's intent indefinitely. The new definition of data centers mirrors that used in the moratorium, and it also allows data centers to serve as accessory uses for other businesses. The county is holding a public hearing on August 18 during the Planning Commission's meeting, and public comment will be accepted until August 20.