Chicago data center energy/water benchmarking disclosure (SO2026-0027165)

Chicago Municipal Code ch. 18-14 (Energy Benchmarking) amended by substitute ordinance SO2026-0027165 (introduced 2026-07-15, referred; substituted, amended and recommended to pass by Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy 2026-09-01; passed City Council 2026-09-23; status 90-Final). s.18-14-101.3: 'covered building' now expressly includes any Group 1 or Group 2 covered building with a data center (overriding the >10% A-5/F/H/S/U occupancy carve-out); new definition 'data center' = space designed and equipped for high-density computing equipment such as server racks, as defined by the benchmarking tool. s.18-14-101.4(b): Commissioner of Water Management may transmit water usage data; Chief Sustainability Officer may make covered buildings' water usage data public, with owner objections limited to grounds in s.18-14-102.1(c)(i),(iii),(iv); per eLMS title, water usage data reporting becomes mandatory. s.18-14-102.3: deletes the Exception that barred public release of individually attributable benchmarking information/energy ratings for buildings where data centers, TV studios or trading floors exceed 10% of gross floor area. Section 2: in force upon passage and publication. Text reviewed is the introduced substitute; the committee-amended version (scanned PDF) could not be text-extracted.