Salem Bans Data Centers as Butler Township Proposes Regulations
The Salem City Council banned data centers via zoning amendments while Butler Township supervisors prepare to vote on strict new regulatory requirements.
Municipal leaders in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are taking divergent approaches to managing data center development. The Salem City Council unanimously approved a zoning amendment on October 8, 2026, to explicitly ban the construction of data centers within the city. Originally filed by Mayor Dominick Pangallo, the amendment closes potential developer loopholes by defining data centers as facilities primarily used for computer servers and IT infrastructure.
While the Salem council rejected a proposal to limit the ban to facilities with a power demand of 2 megawatts or higher, they did include an exception for accessory server infrastructure, such as hospital server rooms. Councilor Lydia King noted that any action taken was effectively temporary, as the city intends to develop a more comprehensive ordinance in the coming months.
Simultaneously, the Butler Township Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on October 13, 2026, on a 50-page ordinance to regulate rather than ban data centers. The proposed rules would restrict these facilities to industrial zone parcels of at least 25 acres and mandate strict noise levels, building heights, and water-efficient cooling systems. The ordinance also requires developers to fund their own environmental studies and post a decommissioning bond. Planning Commissioner Joseph Zeller Jr. reported that the regulations followed months of public hearings with high community engagement.
