U.S. Municipalities Implement Data Center Moratoria and Noise Limits

Municipal leaders across several U.S. states are implementing regulatory pauses and zoning changes to curb the unchecked growth of data centers. In Pennsylvania, Morrisville Borough adopted a 180-day waiting period to update land-use ordinances, while Falls Township declared portions of its zoning ordinance substantively invalid to initiate curative amendments. These actions aim to protect the towns from legal challenges by developers while addressing concerns over energy and water usage. These changes do not affect an existing Amazon Web Services project in Fairless Hills.

In Illinois, officials in Normal and Bloomington established six-month moratoria to study the operational impacts of these facilities. Aurora has taken a different approach by adopting a decibel-based noise ordinance limiting sounds to 56 dB during the day and 46 dB after 7 p.m. to address resident complaints. In DeKalb, the city is managing a mix of facilities, including a Meta center and a planned project by Endeavour Energy that utilizes waterless cooling technology.

New York officials are also tightening controls. The Mohawk Town Board proposed a six-month moratorium on all data centers to protect the rural character of the community. This local measure follows a broader executive order by Governor Kathy Hochul, which placed a one-year moratorium on hyperscale centers consuming 50 megawatts or more. Mohawk officials argue the local pause is necessary to regulate smaller facilities not covered by the state mandate.