Boulder County considers strict power limits for new data centers
Boulder County officials are considering draft rules that would limit new data centers to 75 kilowatts of power, effectively preventing standalone facilities from being built. The county is operating under a moratorium while developing zoning and operating regulations, amid concerns about electricity, water use, noise and pollution.
Boulder County commissioners are scheduled to consider draft data center regulations that would cap new facilities at 75 kilowatts, a limit planning staff acknowledged would effectively rule out standalone data centers. The proposed rules would establish data centers as a new land-use category and restrict them to existing light-industrial and general-industrial zones.
The county’s moratorium on new data centers remains in place while officials develop permanent rules. Commissioners and residents have raised concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, noise, pollution and industrial impacts, while planners said the limit is intended to allow computing equipment used incidentally by existing businesses. The proposal is expected to face questions about whether power limits can legally be applied to data centers without imposing similar restrictions on other power-intensive industries.