DeKalb Commission denies data center regulations
The DeKalb County Commission unanimously denied proposed land-use and zoning regulations for data centers at its June 23 meeting. This decision follows a year of discussions and an ongoing moratorium on data center construction applications, which was recently extended through September 30. The proposed regulations aimed to restrict data centers to industrial areas and require special permits for larger facilities.
The DeKalb County Commission voted unanimously on June 23, 2026, to deny proposed land-use and zoning regulations for data centers. This decision came after an initial motion to defer the ordinance, followed by a motion to reconsider, which ultimately led to the proposal's defeat. The regulations had been under consideration for approximately one year, since July 2025, during which a moratorium on new data center construction applications has been in effect.
Just a week prior to the vote, the commission had extended this moratorium for an additional 100 days, through September 30. The denied regulations aimed to restrict data center facilities to industrial areas and would have mandated a special land-use permit (SLUP) for most large data centers, defined as those 100,000 square feet or more, or for any redevelopment or expansion. An updated draft of the regulations, dated June 18, proposed capping data center campuses at 1 million square feet of disturbed land and increasing buffer zones from residential properties to 750 feet. Commissioner Ted Terry initially moved to defer the decision for nine months, later amending it to December 15, before the final vote to deny the regulations outright. Jonathan Holle was noted as speaking in opposition to data center development during public comment at the meeting.