Columbus IN city data center BZA oversight ordinance (2026)
Columbus, IN — City Council Ordinance Requiring Board of Zoning Appeals Approval for All New Data Centers (2026)
Columbus, IN · City of Columbus, IN ordinance (enacted ~July 2026) — data centers permitted use requiring BZA approval
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- July 10, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking to build in the City of Columbus, Indiana
- Enforced by
- Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals; Columbus City Planning Department
The Columbus, Indiana City Council passed an ordinance in July 2026 establishing that data centers are a permitted land use in the city — but they are not automatically approved. Every new data center proposal must receive approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals, which requires a public hearing and gives residents and city officials a formal opportunity to weigh in. Mayor Mary Ferdon said the city had received interest from developers looking to build data centers, which prompted the oversight policy. The ordinance is a proactive measure: no data center projects were pending at the time of passage. Columbus (population ~50,000, seat of Bartholomew County) is distinct from Columbus, Ohio; separately, Bartholomew County itself was also exploring zoning changes for data centers in its unincorporated industrial areas as of August-September 2026.
Who is protected: Columbus, Indiana residents near proposed data center sites
Legal detail
Columbus, IN City Council ordinance (enacted approximately July 10, 2026). Key provision: data centers reclassified from permitted use (no public process) to 'permitted use requiring BZA approval' — meaning each data center application must go before the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals, which mandates a public hearing with notice to neighboring property owners and the general public. This provides a site-specific review mechanism for impacts including noise, water use, power demand, and traffic. The city had no pending data center applications at enactment. RELATIONSHIP TO BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY: the Bartholomew County Plan Commission separately was considering (as of August-September 2026) making data centers a 'conditional use' in industrially-zoned areas of unincorporated county land — a parallel but distinct regulatory track from the city's BZA-approval mechanism.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Columbus, IN |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | July 10, 2026 |
| Citation | City of Columbus, IN ordinance (enacted ~July 2026) — data centers permitted use requiring BZA approval |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Data center applications not processed without BZA approval |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Columbus adds oversight to data center proposals — Indiana Public Media (September 10, 2026) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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